Blog
SSDP Welcomes Carmen Jackman to the Team
Carmen Jackman (’19) has joined SSDP’s team as our new Development Associate! In this role, Carmen will be supporting SSDP’s fundraising efforts, building relationships, and managing SSDP’s monthly giving club. Carmen Jackman is a native Marylander and Washington, D.C. area-based designer, researcher, and organizer. She played Division 1 Tennis at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) where she obtained
Introducing University College Dublin
This is an interview with Aisling Hudson ’20 & the new SSDP University College Dublin team. Why did you want to get involved/what made you decide to start a chapter? I am Aisling Hudson ’20, a final year undergraduate, mature student, studying social policy and sociology. I’m very young at heart. My main interest is in cannabis reform, although I
Action Alert: Start Making Calls for Georgia Voter Registration and GOTV!
Students for Sensible Drug Policy is encouraging all of our U.S. members, alumni, and supporters to start making calls and get out the vote for Georgia’s special election on January 5th. Drug policy reform and the progress we have made this year is on the line this run-off election. The MORE Act, which just passed the House of Representatives on
Another Historic Victory: The MORE Act Has Passed in the House of Representatives
In a historic victory for drug policy reform and a historic blow to marijuana prohibition in the United States, the MORE Act has passed in the House of Representatives. From the passing of the Controlled Substances Act and its implementation in 1971 to now, hundreds of thousands of people have been arrested for marijuana possession. It’s truly hard to overstate the
Historic Victory for Cannabis at the United Nations
Written by Orsi Fehér ’16 and Beatrix Vas ’19 Support our UN Advocacy work. Make a gift to SSDP’s International Activities Fund today. Drug policy history was made yesterday as the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) removed cannabis from Schedule IV in the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 After two years of active procrastination, the CND finally made
Living in a Quarantine of Violence
This is the second part in our series “Eliminating Violence against Women Who Use Drugs”, see the first part here. The featured image on this article was sourced from the UN Women Social Media Trello. Find more images to share from this campaign here. November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and marks the beginning of
Action Alert: Congress To Vote On Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition This Week
Later this week, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act, H.R. 3884. This will mark the first time that Congress vote on the legal status of marijuana since the passage of the Controlled Substances Act a half-century ago. If you’re reading this email, you have probably already taken action to get
Eliminating Violence Against Women Who Use Drugs
This is the first of our series “Eliminating Violence Against Women Who Use Drugs”, see part two here. The featured image on this article was sourced from the UN Women Social Media Trello. Find more images to share from this campaign here. November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and marks the beginning of
Global Member Highlight: Isabella Ross ’20
Written by Isabella Ross ‘20, Co-Project Leader of the Just Say Know Peer Education Programme for SSDP University College of London What is your name? My name is Isabella Ross. What SSDP chapter are you a part of? I’m part of SSDP University College London. Where are you from? What is something you love about your country and/or culture? I’m
Introducing Our SSDP Africa Orientation Training
Written by Ruby Rose Lawlor ‘19, SSDP Global Programs Intern In August this year, we began the process of creating this new member training specific to the SSDP African Network to finally meet the requests and needs of our members in this region. SSDP’s African Network is a robust, inspiring, and incredibly active community that have made changes across the
SSDP Accepting Applications for 2nd Cohort of Psychedelic Pipeline Career Mentorship Program
Written by volunteer Sean Lawlor ’19 of Naropa University and the SSDP Psychedelic Pipeline team Over the last year, Students for Sensible Drug Policy has been developing the Psychedelic Pipeline, a network to connect SSDP members and alumni interested in working with psychedelic medicines to quality training, scholarship funds, and career development opportunities, with a deliberate focus on providing access
What It Means For Us: 2020 U.S. General Election
Written by Abhi Dewan ‘19, U.S. Federal Policy Liaison November 3rd, 2020 was a date many of us were anxiously awaiting. Though it wasn’t until November 7th that we got the complete picture, on the 3rd we knew we’d won. Drug policy reform ballots across the nation toppled the old dogmas surrounding drug use. Oregon became the inaugural state to
October 2020 Report Card
Students for Sensible Drug Policy’s October Report Card is out! The United States 2020 election has now largely concluded. Although it took a few days to tally the final votes before a Presidential winner emerged, there was one clear winner right from election night: drug policy reform. Ballot measures for medical and adult-use cannabis legalization passed in blue, red, and
Drug Policy Reform Won The Election
Last night, drug policy reform was the clear winner in the United States 2020 election. Students for Sensible Drug Policy was honored to work on seven winning statewide initiatives this year and we congratulate the successful campaigns on this stunning victory for drug policy reform. In an unprecedented move, Oregon voters turned out to overwhelmingly support the decriminalization of all
Introducing University of Washington SSDP
Written by Lukas Metzner ‘19, University of Washington SSDP Chapter Leader How did you hear about SSDP? In sophomore year, my partner, who goes to another school, told me about an awesome club she joined that worked on drug policy and education. The work they were doing and the community they were building sounded awesome, so I wanted to get
Sign Up for our United Nations Training
Are you interested in global drug policy? Would you like to learn more about the United Nations and how Students for Sensible Drug Policy advocates there? Sign up for our United Nations training series! SSDP has been advocating at the United Nations for better drug policies for over five years. Every year we send a delegation of SSDPers to Vienna,
Introducing UConn Hartford SSDP
Written by Sam Evans ‘20, UConn Hartford SSDP Chapter LeaderHow did you hear about SSDP? I first heard about SSDP through an event that Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) held several years back and have also seen SSDP mentioned on maps.org.Why did you want to get involved/what made you decide to start a chapter? I wanted to get involved and establish
Introducing SSDP Burundi
Lambert Nduwayezu is a writer, blogger and actor, he studied Economics at the University of Ngozi. A libertarian, he believes that individual and economic freedom is the only way for our Africa to prosper and dreams of an Africa where limited government serves the rule of law. So everyone is free to make their choice without any government intervention. He
Start Making Calls for Sensible Drug Policy
Drug decriminalization and psilocybin therapy are on the ballot for the first time ever in a U.S. state, making Election 2020 unprecedented for drug policy reform. With ballot measures on medical and adult-use cannabis legalization, psilocybin therapy, low-level drug decriminalization, and expanded funding for harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services, our progress as a movement hinges on us activating voters
SSDP Network Surveys Are Due Today
Today is the last day to fill out our Member and Supporter Surveys! We have all experienced a year of change that has radically altered our personal lives and our advocacy. We need your feedback to center the desires of our network and to maintain the resiliency of the youth drug policy reform movement. If you were involved in a
SSDP Network Survey Deadlines Have Been Extended
To allow more time for our members and supporters to make their voices heard in our network surveys, we have moved the deadline to complete the Membership and Supporter Surveys back to this Friday, October 23rd. Your understanding, experience, and opinions about SSDP are important to us and our members. We highly encourage you to share this with your fellow
Organise a Screening: Taking Back What’s Ours!
We are excited to announce that we have partnered with the International Network of People Who Use Drugs (INPUD) and DrugReporter to coordinate showings of their newly released docuseries ‘Taking Back What’s Ours: An Oral History of the Movement of People Who Use Drugs’. Each episode is dedicated to different regions and countries, and how the movement developed there. It’s
Statement of Solidarity with the People of Nigeria
Students for Sensible Drug Policy stands in solidarity with the people of Nigeria protesting against the human rights abuses and police brutality committed by the Nigerian police force, particularly the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, also known as SARS. We condemn the actions of the Nigerian government, especially the infringing on the people’s right to protest by using violence and brutality, and
Young Nigerians Fight Against Police Brutality #EndSARS
This report is written by our African Development Consultant, Moronfolu Adeniyi ’14, based on his experiences on the ground in Ogun State. More than a week ago now, police officers in their usual habits harrassed (shot) a young man in Ughelli part of Delta State. It was thought to be police from the common unit, Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) because
We’re Hiring a Development Associate!
Have you ever wanted to work for Students for Sensible Drug Policy? We’re hiring for a new position, and this could be your chance to land your dream job! Working for SSDP is an opportunity to serve our network of students and young people who are leading the charge to end the disastrous War on Drugs and heal the harms
