Tag: cannabis
Carmen’s SSDP Origin Story
Today is Giving Tuesday and it’s my one-year anniversary of working at Students for Sensible Drug Policy, so I am sharing my SSDP origin story with you. In 2012, shortly after my college graduation, I was arrested for cannabis possession. I was both ashamed of my arrest and fearful that I had jeopardized my future. After my experience with the
Action: U.S Policy Council Collecting Comments for Senate Cannabis Legalization Bill
The Offices of Senator Schumer, Booker, and Wyden are accepting comments on specific parts of the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA), the Senate cannabis legalization bill released in July. The U.S Policy Council is collecting comments to submit on behalf of SSDP. Much like the MORE Act in the House, the CAOA would remove marijuana from the federal Controlled
78 Students for Sensible Drug Policy Chapters Call On Congress To End Federal Marijuana Prohibition
For Immediate Release Primary contact: Rob Hofmann, United States Outreach and Policy Coordinator, Students for Sensible Drug Policy(607) 316-0227, robert@ssdp.org Secondary Contact: Jason Ortiz, Executive Director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy(860) 639-8101, jason@ssdp.org Today, 78 Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) chapters sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi, House Majority Leader Hoyer, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy urging
SSDP Press Release: Congress is Back for MORE to End Federal Marijuana Prohibition
The reintroduction of the MORE Act would remove federal penalties for marijuana and seek to repair the harms caused by decades of racially biased policing. Today, leaders in the House of Representatives reintroduced a landmark bill to end federal marijuana prohibition and begin to repair the harms caused by decades of disproportionate arrests and prosecutions. The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and
The MORE Act Returns to Congress Tomorrow. Act Now.
The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act is expected to be re-introduced in the House of Representatives tomorrow (May 28th).In 2020, the House made history by passing the MORE Act, which would end the criminalization of marijuana at the federal level and provide grants to communities disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs. With a split Senate and ever-increasing
Introducing SSDP’s Dubuque Ambassador
Written by Evan Hudson ‘21, Dubuque, Iowa SSDP Ambassador How did you hear about SSDP? I’ve been aware of SSDP’s work since high school, but only recently looked into getting involved as an extension of my work in harm reduction. Why did you want to get involved/what made you decide to start an SSDP Ambassadorship? I was inspired to become
One Connecticut Marijuana Legalization Bill Promises Important Student Protections
Written by Rob Hofmann ‘16 and Sarah Noon ‘18One of the understated impacts of the War on Drugs is the effect that criminalization of drugs has on young people. Young people (under 18 to 35), especially young people of color, make up a substantial amount of the arrests that occur throughout our half-century disastrous drug war. Because young people are
Opinion Piece: After 50 Years of Failure, It’s Time to Rethink the Controlled Substances Act
Written by Trey Brasher ’19 and Elijah Zorro Ullman ‘15, SSDP Scientific Policy Council members (Written to publish on October 27th, 2020 for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) 50 years ago today, on Oct 27th, 1970, the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) was signed into law. Solidifying treatment of drugs as a criminal issue rather than a medical or societal one, the
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
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
Today Marks the 50th Anniversary of the Controlled Substances Act
Written by Abhi Dewan ‘18, U.S. Federal Policy Liaison 50 years ago today, the House of Representatives voted to list marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance, escalating the war on marijuana. Last week, the House was poised to remedy injustice for those impacted, but instead chose to postpone their scheduled vote on the MORE Act. Though the bill was
SSDP Statement on MORE Act Vote Postponement
Delaying the MORE Act is Postponing Justice for those Harmed by Marijuana Prohibition Students for Sensible Drug Policy is disappointed in the announcement to postpone the U.S. House vote on the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Opportunity (MORE) Act (HR 3884), which had been announced for a vote the week of September 21st. This news is particularly disappointing because next week
‘Medicinal Cannabis ‘ll boost Nigeria’s economy’
Author: Saheed Ibrahim ’18, SSDP Nigeria This article was originally published by The Hope Newspaper, to read the original article click here. President of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), Nigeria chapter, Mr Olufemi Bashorun has advised state and federal governments to exploit the medicinal cannabis market to boost the nation’s crumbling economy. This call came on the heels of
Setting the Records Straight: Response to CSOs Calling for Criminalization of Drug Use in Ghana
Students for Sensible Drug Policy joined with organisations from across Ghana and West Africa in response to a petition by 5 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) opposing the calls for decriminalisation of drug use and possession, particularly of cannabis. You can read more about the calls for decriminalisation in the region in the Model Drug Law for West Africa: A Tool
Action Alert: Support marijuana justice in 3 minutes
Tomorrow will be a historic day on Capitol Hill: for the very first time, a Congressional committee will consider a bill that ends marijuana prohibition. The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019 (MORE Act) will be marked up in the House Judiciary Committee tomorrow, the critical first step toward consideration by the full House of Representatives and replacing
UN Update: Noteworthy Tidbits About The Progress in Global Cannabis Policy reform
On September 23, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) convened in Vienna for the 5th intersessional meeting. Here is the low-down. What is CND? And what is an Intersessional? The CND is the main decision-making body of the United Nations in all drug control related matters. They make those decisions every March and convene meetings between the March sessions to
We won, but we’re not done!
Our voices have been heard, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the first stand-alone marijuana reform legislation! H.R. 1595, the SAFE Banking Act of 2019, protects cannabis consumers, employees, and small businesses by allowing access to banking for state-legal entities. We’re celebrating, and we’re gearing up for tomorrow when we’ll keep pushing onward toward full federal legalization of cannabis
Action Alert: Cannabis banking bill scheduled for a House vote this week
The SAFE Banking Act of 2019 (HR 1595) will be up for a vote in the House this week, and with just a few clicks you can help make sure it passes! This legislation would address one aspect of the discord between state and federal cannabis policy. While some cannabis businesses are able to find banking services, most banks are unwilling to
Demanding Marijuana Justice on the Federal Level
Our federal leaders are getting closer than ever to ending marijuana prohibition. In every legislative session, the status quo shifts, and more legislators are realizing that to be on the right side of history- and to keep their jobs- they must support marijuana policy reform. We made another step forward this week as our House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism
Today is the deadline to double your support for SSDP
2019 is nearly here, and there’s still time to make a gift to Students for Sensible Drug Policy before our match deadline tonight. We know you’re receiving lots of messages from deserving non-profits right now, but I’d like to take a moment to tell you why SSDP is uniquely important and share some of our plans for the new year.
Let’s Talk About International Cannabis Policy
By Orsi Feher ’16, SSDP’s Europe Global Fellow In November 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a scientific assessment on the uses and potential harms of the plant Cannabis sativa L. and its derivatives through their Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD). Their final recommendation was expected to be presented to the United Nations’ Committee on Narcotic Drugs (CND)
Be inspired by our rock star student members at Ferris State University
The best part of working at Students for Sensible Drug Policy is hearing amazing stories every day about what our members are doing to end the War on Drugs and protect their communities from the harms caused by drug prohibition. If you’re as inspired by their work as I am, please make a gift to support the students who are
How SSDP helped me get my dream job as a cannabis journalist
In the 13 years since I joined SSDP in my first semester at Franklin Pierce College, now University, nothing has been more formative in my development personally or professionally. The way that SSDP’s mission engaged me essentially gave me chances to challenge my situational apathy around problems I didn’t even know existed in the world as a teenager living in
Cannabis Sativa Economics and Sustainability
The following remarks were given by Elena Yaneva of SSDP Osterreich during the International Narcotic Control Board (INCB) civil society hearing on “the use of cannabis for medical and non-medical purposes”. The hearing took place on May 7th, 2018 in Vienna, Austria. I can’t hide the excitement triggered by the opportunity to discuss one of the topics I am most
