Note from the team

We’ve just returned from the Drug Policy Alliance’s International Drug Policy Reform conference, where dozens of students attending on scholarship were able to connect and exchange information with drug policy reformers and harm reduction service providers, justice advocates and academics, peers working in communities to serve people who use drugs, and, of course, more than 50 SSDP alumni who fit into those categories. 

Sadly, we were not able to be joined by a single member of our growing and vibrant network of students working to protect health, liberty, and human rights in Africa. Notoriously difficult and slow processes for obtaining visas mean that most African students are unable to join us for these pivotal gatherings. Help us change that for #Sensible2020 with a tax-deductible gift today, and make conferences available to any young person passionate enough to dedicate their time to sensible drug policy, no matter where they are from. Your gift now will ensure our members have time to apply for visas, plan overseas trips, and attend our conference with scholarships for travel and lodging — meaning young people from as many as 34 countries will have the same opportunities as our US members to superpower their change-making skills. 

And thank you for everything you do to make this work happen! 

Sensibly, 

The SSDP team

Action alerts 

• Demand MORE and support U.S. federal legislation legalizing marijuana with reparative justice.
• Call on U.S. Congress to treat the overdose crisis as a public health emergency and move the Comprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency Act of 2019.
• Support higher education opportunities for all U.S. students through comprehensive reform of the Higher Education Act with repeal of the Aid Elimination Penalty and access to Pell Grants for incarcerated students.

New activists and chapters 

• Mayo Clinic School of Medicine (United States)
• New York Law School (United States)
• Ossining High School (United States)
• Princeton University (United States)
• SSDP Buffalo (United States)
• SSDP Durham (United Kingdom)
• SSDP Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)
• Trinity College Dublin (Ireland)
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (United States)
• University of Tennessee Knoxville (United States)
• Wake Forest University School of Medicine (United States)
• Western Michigan University (United States)
• University of Florida (United States)

CAT leaderboard

1. University of Pittsburgh
2. Ferris State University
3. Michigan State University
4. Ohio State University
5. DePaul University
6. University of California Santa Cruz
7. University College Cork
8. SSDP Nigeria
9. United Methodist University
10. Kent State University

Stats

• 219 one-on-one coaching sessions
• 117 social media posts
• 81 active chapter campaigns
• 44 care packages and CAT Store orders shipped

SSDP in the news 

• Congressional Bill Would Protect Students From Losing Financial Aid Over Drug Convictions – Marijuana Moment
• Keeping the Pressure on Cannabis Social Justice Reform – mg Cannabis Retailer
• 4Front Ventures CEO Talks Parallels Between Cannabis Advocacy, Entrepreneurship – Benzinga
• Students for Sensible Drug Policy sees growth in first semester, plans to expand – Point Park Globe
• UT’s Drug-Free Schools Act review recommends formation of committee to evaluate substance use – UT The Daily Texan
• SXSW Announces Two Dozen Marijuana Panels For 2020 Festival – Marijuana Moment
• Drug checking services must be reinstated on Brown’s campus to protect students – The Brown Daily Herald
• Activism in New Paltz – SUNY The New Paltz Oracle

From the blog

• 21 Things SSDP is Doing Right Now to End the War on Drugs
• Introducing SSDP Buffalo
• Intersecting Movements: Drug policy reform and climate action
• SSDP Report Card for September 2019
• SSDP Rockstars Presenting at Reform Conference
• Introducing SSDP Durham
• Introducing New York Law School SSDP
• How to get funding from your university in 5 easy steps
• Open call: SSDP Africa Committee

Upcoming events and days of action

• December 1 | Everywhere | World AIDS Day
• December 11-13 | Las Vegas, NV, USA | Marijuana Business Conference (MJBizCon) 
• March 13-22 | Austin, TX, USA | South by Southwest with Alex Kreit ‘98, Dan Goldman ‘99, Kris Krane ‘98, Troy Dayton ‘98, and Betty Aldworth
• March 27-30 | Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC, USA | #Sensible2020: The The Young People’s Drug Policy Conference & Lobby Day
• Available to stream any time | Everywhere | Cannabis Economy’s Digital Workshop with Amanda Reiman ‘98, Shaleen Title ‘02, & Betty Aldworth

Recommended reading

• Betty Aldworth – House Panel Votes To Let Students With Drug Convictions Keep College Aid – Forbes
• Erica Darragh ‘14 #BanFacialRecognition: Facial Recognition Is Anti-Harm Reduction And Inconsistent With Consent Culture
• Róisín Downes ‘15 – Tilray to Import Medical Cannabis in Bulk to the UK
• James Gould ‘15  Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Davis
• Robert Hofmann ‘16 – Can Harm Reduction and Abstinence-Based Models Constructively Co-Exist?
• Vilmarie Narloch ‘09 – How Psychedelic Exceptionalism Harms Drug Users
• Luis Montoya ‘16 – 2018 Mainline – Harm Reduction for People Who Use Stimulants – Executive Summary
• Lauren Padgett ‘13 – Can Interstate Commerce Help Solve the Cannabis Industry’s Equity Problem?

Member discounts & givebacks

• Dip Devices’ Dipper – Get 15% off and give 15% to us with code “SSDP”
• Dip Devices’ EVRI – 1% of all sales go to SSDP & MPP
• Gift your credit card rewards to SSDP with Charity Charge 
• Find your next employee with H2 Talent or THC Staffing & a portion of your fees will be donated to SSDP
• Shop to give back with iGive, Giving Assistant, and Amazon Smile