SSDP Report Card for September 2019
The SSDP Report Card for September is out!
Read on for the latest in chapter news, see where our newest chapters have been founded, check out a growing list of events we’re proud to partner on, and — new this month! — a monthly roundup of Just Say Know drug education news and activities.
Thank you for staying in touch and for staying committed to our shared vision to end the War on Drugs and start making sense!
Action alerts
- Demand MORE and support U.S. federal legislation legalizing marijuana with reparative justice, text “SSDP MORE” to 52886.
- Call on our U.S. leaders to treat the overdose crisis as a public health emergency, text “SSDP CARES” to 52886.
- Support higher education opportunities for incarcerated students, and repeal the drug conviction question on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
- Sign the petition to Free Ross Ulbricht, who is now 7 years into a life sentence for non-violent drug offenses.
New activists and chapters
- EPSD Colombia (Colombia)
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Nebraska, United States)
- University of North Georgia Oconee (Georgia, United States)
- SSDP Chad (Chad)
CAT leaderboard
Click here to view the Chapter Activity Tracker- University of Pittsburgh
- DePaul University
- University of Texas Austin
- Ferris State University
- Ohio State University
- Kent State University
- United Methodist University
- University of Vienna
- University College Cork
- SUNY Albany
Stats:
- 574 communications to elected officials sent
- 145 one-on-one coaching sessions
- 53 high impact chapters
- 33 care packages sent to chapters
- 26 people completed the SSDP psychedelic pipeline interest form
- 4 SSDPers interviewed on national television (start at 19:10)
- 1 new country (Chad)
Network highlights
- George Washington University SSDP members occupied the Capitol Hill offices of Senators and Representatives, calling for swift action on the CARE Act, which would treat the overdose crisis as a public health emergency and allocate $10 million to expand access to treatment options, naloxone, and other resources.
- Golden Gate Law SSDP hosted an expungement clinic event and cannabis career fair to help individuals directly impacted by the War on Drugs find employment in the cannabis industry.
- Rory O’Brien ’19, chapter leader of Minneapolis Community and Technical College SSDP met with Minnesota Senate Minority Leader Hayden and Rep. Tina Smith’s Staff to discuss improving sober housing regulations.
- Leaders of University College Cork SSDP Ruby Lawlor ‘17, Florian Schiebien ‘11, Fergal Eccles ‘17 and SSDP Global Program Coordinator Róisín Downes ‘15 were interviewed for a television segment on RTE’s Prime Time about youth recreational drug use. They discussed the need for comprehensive front of house drug testing and credible drug education.
- Ferris State University SSDPers registered 215 voters.
- University of Massachusetts Boston SSDP chapter leader Christian Palmero ‘17 moderated a panel on social equity in the cannabis industry at the Boston Freedom Rally.
- SSDP Nigeria held it’s monthly WhatsApp Drug Talk with over 158 participants (the most ever to join since the program began!) during which new member Frederick Edache ’19, a psychologist and mental health consultant, held a presentation on “The Challenge of Drug Withdrawal.”
- SSDP Nigeria Vice President Benedicta Uweru ‘19, organized the Youth Voices Conference in Kebbi State, Nigeria. The discussions identified challenges in the state relating to drug use, and the stigmatization that has prevented many from seeking help. Solutions to these challenges were proffered which will be documented using the model United Nations style as policy recommendations and sent to the government of Kebbi State.
- Abhi Dewan ’18 of George Washington University SSDP testified in front of D.C. Council in support of two medical marijuana bills prohibiting pre-employment drug testing of employees in the district.
SSDP in the news
- Code for America to Automate Expungement of Cannabis Convictions in Cook County, IL – Filter
- Local defense attorney speaks at Know Your Rights event centering on police encounters – The Maneater
- Drug-testing kits to be handed out to UCC students – Echo Live
- UCC Says No to Students Hoping to Hand Out Drug Testing Kits – The University Times
- HSE cannot condone drug testing kits as they give ‘false sense of security’ – Extra.ie
- Looking For A Cannabis Job In The Bay Area? This San Francisco Career Fair Might Help – Benzinga
- Is Ireland getting to grips with its drugs policy? – RTE.ie
- Rape Redefinition Looks to Sew Loophole in Victim Protection – SUNY The New Paltz Oracle
- SGA senators question drug policy during Wednesday’s meeting – North Texas Daily
- 4Front Appoints Two New Board Members – PRNewswire
From the blog
- SSDP Report Card for August 2019
- 21 Things SSDP is Doing Right Now to End the War on Drugs
- Drug Policy Reform Must Define the U.S. 2020 Elections: A call to action
- SSDP Receives Grant from Threshold Foundation for the Just Say Know Psychedelic Pipeline
- SSDP Launches Sensible Society Drive
- Another Introduction From Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis SSDP
- Letter from Betty Aldworth Regarding Election to the 4Front Ventures Board of Directors
- Action Alert: Cannabis banking bill scheduled for a House vote this week
- SSDP at Bass Center 2019
- We Won, but We’re Not Done!
- Announcing the Resource Assessment and Manual/Community Organizing Toolkit (RAMCOT) Working Group
- Introducing the University of North Georgia Oconee SSDP Chapter
- September 2019 Interchapter Collaborative Committee Updates
- Introducing the George Mason University SSDP Chapter
- UN Update: Noteworthy tidbits about the progress in global cannabis policy reform
- The First African Leaders Training Session
- Announcing the Toward Racial Equity Toolkit Working Group
Just Say Know monthly drug education roundup
Cannabis vaping and medical injuries
After reports of hospitalizations due to respiratory problems associated with contaminants found in THC vape oil products, government officials and the media took action to report on and address the scare. Despite the injuries being clearly linked to illicit THC vape cartridges, more and more elected officials called for banning flavored e-cigarette liquid as a response.Ireland’s approach to drug use on campus
Our members at University College Cork (UCC) have recently been challenged by their administration for their use and distribution of drug checking kits, despite having previously been approved to use the kits.. Coincidentally, the Minister of State, Mary Mitchell O’Connor launched a Task Force to “deal with drug and substance abuse within higher education institutions.”Upcoming opportunities and trainings
Implementation of a Collaborative Model for Opioid Overdose Prevention on Campus, October 10th, 2:00 pm EST Psychedelic Science Summit, Austin, Texas – November 2-3Red Ribbon Week PSA contest
Red Ribbon Week is coming up! Red Ribbon Week is one of the least effective drug prevention strategies in existence, so naturally, the feds are asking for PSAs! We WOULD LOVE if we could run a series of our very own harm reduction and actual drug education focused PSAs during the same time to counter theirs! Please submit videos to Director of Drug Education, Vilmarie at vilmarie@ssdp.org by October 18th. Check out this older blog post of ours about how to do it!Threshold Foundation grant for Just Say Know Psychedelic Pipeline
SSDP is honored and grateful to have received a grant from the Threshold Foundation to support our #JustSayKnow program, and the development of the Psychedelic Pipeline! Want a career in psychedelic-assisted therapy, research, policy, etc, but aren’t sure where to start? We got you. Read the latest blog for more information about the vision for this program and what we hope to accomplish!Just Say Know training lessons – now on YouTube!
In an effort to address the needs and learning styles of our members, Vilmarie is working on developing webinar versions of all of our Just Say Know peer education training curriculum lessons. The first three lessons are now available on our YouTube channel on the newly created Just Say Know playlist. We will soon have each training curriculum lesson recorded!Upcoming events and days of action
- October 2-4, 2019 | New York, NY, USA | Arcview Investor Forum with Troy Dayton ‘98
- October 3-5, 2019 | New York, NY, USA | INCBA Cannabis Law Institute with Betty Aldworth & Lauren Mendelsohn ‘09
- October 3-5, 2019 | Iowa City, IA, USA | Iowa Harm Reduction Summit
- October 4, 2019 | Chicago, IL, USA | Midwest Harm Reduction Institute’s Harm Reduction in the House conference
- October 10-14, 2019 | New York, NY, USA | Horizons: Perspectives on Psychedelics
- October 14-16, 2019 | Chicago, IL, USA | Illinois Cannabis Summit
- October 16-18, 2019 | Vienna, Austria | United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs: Intersessional meeting, sixty-second session
- October 23-24, 2019 | Portland, Oregon, USA | Retail and Dispensary Expo
- October 24, 2019 | St. Paul, MN, USA | Minnesota Cannabis Summit with Betty Aldworth
- October 24, 2019 | New York, NY, USA | Foundation for Individual Rights in Education 20th Anniversary Gala
- November 6-9, 2019 | St. Louis, MO, USA | International Drug Policy Reform Conference
- November 10, 2019 | Los Angeles, CA, USA | Models of Justice with Betty Aldworth
- March 27-30, 2020 | Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC, USA | SSDP2020: The Global Students for Sensible 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
- Stacia Cosner ‘05: 6 Signs Your Call-Out is About Ego and Not Accountability
- Erica Darragh ‘14: [Event] Sexual ethics in the psychedelic community
- Róisín Downes ‘15: States simply do not care: The failure of international securitisation of drug control in Afghanistan
- James Gould ‘15: 6 Million Lost Voters: State-level estimates of felony disenfranchisement, 2016
- Rob Hofmann ‘16: Is ‘Abolish Prisons’ the Next Frontier In Criminal Justice?
- Dr. Vilmarie Narloch, PsyD ‘09: The mystery lung disease caused by “vaping” was a textbook drug panic and New York vapers say flavor ban will drive them back to cigarettes
- Hannah Procell ‘15: Failing on Fentanyl: How Congress Failed to Act on the Fentanyl Epidemic Despite Dire Warnings
- Rachel Wissner ‘11: Judge Rules Planned Supervised Injection Site Does Not Violate Federal Drug Laws
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
- Shop to give back with iGive, Giving Assistant, and Amazon Smile
