Name: Melissa Colebank School: College of Charleston Position: Chapter President 2011-2012 Studying: Communication, Corporate and Organizational Concentration/American Studies minor SSDP: When did you first get involved with SSDP? MELISSA: I became involved with SSDP when Kat Humphries (former President and chapter founder) attended the International SSDP Conference in San Francisco in 2010 and wanted to start the chapter at CofC.
What a summer it has been interning with SSDP in our DC office. I’ve had more fun and gained more experience than I could imagine over these two months! Whether it was helping organize the DC Vigil for the Victims of the War on Drugs in front of the White House, or attending Press Conferences with drug policy experts and celebrities, or
SSDP chapters at Reed College and Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR, teamed up this past Friday and organized a candlelight vigil to commemorate those impacted by the failed war on drugs. Over 100 people were in attendance. The Portland chapters placed a focus on the struggle of medical marijuana patients in their state and throughout the country who needlessly suffer and face criminal prosecution
Friday, June 17, 2011, marks the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s declaration of the “war on drugs.” His decision catapulted the U.S. into a wasteful, decades-long, failed effort that has had zero impact on drug consumption in the U.S., but has had profound negative impacts on communities in the U.S. and around the world, and on communities of color in particular. Students