Tag: drug policy reform
SSDP’s Top 10 Policy Victories of 2022
With 2022 drawing to a close, Students for Sensible Drug Policy is reflecting on the drug policy victories we have been able to accomplish over the past twelve months. With campuses and community centers opening back up, keeping the potential risks of COVID in mind,, our students and youth leaders were busy leading efforts to advance sensible policies on their
SSDP’s Policy Council is Seeking New Tactical Team Members
Students for Sensible Drug Policy is seeking new student, alumni, and supporter leaders to join our Policy Council’s Tactical Team! We’ve had a lot of great victories this year: the second passage of the MORE Act in the House of Representatives, a public launch for one of our campaigns to remove funding for enforcing low-level drug penalties at the local level, and our
The Case for Descheduling Drugs: From Cannabis to Heroin
Recently, President Biden asked the Secretary of Health and Human Services to “initiate the administrative process to review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.” The announcement was a welcomed change by many federal cannabis activists, who are calling for the descheduling of cannabis through this review. In order to truly understand why we must deschedule marijuana, it’s important
New Member Interview: California Lutheran University SSDP
SSDP’s staff is ecstatic to announce the formation of a new chapter at California Lutheran University (CLU), a private liberal arts university in Thousand Oaks, California. I’m grateful to announce that “the future of drug policy is intelligent, ethical, and hardworking.” In just a few short months, the chapter has been building a solid foundation for its future. Their leadership
SSDP Advocates at the 65th UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs
The 65th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs took place in Vienna between 14-18 March, with members states and civil society representatives coming together to discuss the most pressing issues shaping drug policy today. This session saw historic developments largely influenced by the Russian aggression in Ukraine. Walkouts were initiated at various times during the debate and for
Top 10 Drug Policy Reform Moments of 2021
by Robert Hofmann and Mike Liszewski With 2021 drawing to a close, Students for Sensible Drug Policy is reflecting on the drug policy milestones and victories over the past twelve months. Despite the challenges to political organizing that COVID provided, SSDPers and other drug policy reform advocates were busy advancing sensible laws and programs to end criminalization, reduce the harms
Making Noise in the South
SSDP Engages with Florida’s Emerging Cannabis Industry Recently, I took an autumn drive from Atlanta to Tallahassee, Florida, in order to help stakeholders lobby for sensible Cannabis reform at Florida’s State General Assembly. While cruising down an old state highway in Southern Georgia, lined with colorful leaves and farms whose abundant crops were ready for the harvest, I began to ponder
Introducing SSDP’s McHenry, Illinois Ambassador
Written by Taylor Hansen ‘21, McHenry, Illinois SSDP Ambassador How did you hear about SSDP?I heard about SSDP when I attended a few conferences relating to the studies of psychedelics. I originally heard about the UK organization and was thrilled when I learned there was one also active in the US. Why did you want to get involved/what made you
June 2021 – U.S Policy Council Monthly Round-Up
Projects: SSDP MORE Act Chapter and Allied Organization Sign-On Letter was publishedJune Hiatus – No meetings for the month of June 🙂U.S Policy Quick Links – everyone is welcome to build on and contribute to this living resource. Be sure to check it out and add to it, it is changing all of the time! All 117th Congress legislative endorsements
Introducing Heller School for Social Policy and Management SSDP
Written by Ali Carney ‘21, Heller School for Social Policy and Management SSDP Chapter Leader How did you hear about SSDP? I heard about SSDP through volunteering with the organization Baystaters for Natural Medicine. Once I expressed the idea of starting some sort of drug policy working group at Heller, a colleague of mine brought SSDP to my attention once
Statement on Biden Harris First Year Drug Policy Priorities
While we support expanding access to treatment and reducing barriers to young people who are seeking treatment, there are no steps being taken to support YPWUD that do not want to and will not stop using drugs. The administration’s approach to youth drug use does not align with their explicit commitment to “promot[e] harm reduction efforts.”
SSDP’s Federal Policy Agenda for the 117th Congress Has Been Released
Last month, SSDP’s U.S. Policy Council completed our Federal Policy Agenda for the 117th Congress. Written by SSDP members, alumni, and supporters, this document shows federal representatives and administrators our roadmap for fighting the War on Drugs and promoting sensible drug policy over the next 2 years. The agenda consists of six main sections, covering various community interests as they
Statement about the events that occurred in the FSDP Community Chat Facebook group
New Member Added to SSDP’s U.S. Policy Council Leadership Team
On December 1st, 2020, SSDP’s U.S. Policy Council Tactical Team voted to add Sarah Noon ‘18 as a member of our leadership team. Sarah will be the point person for our Campus Change, Cannabis, and Scientific Research Issue Groups. Sarah Noon recently graduated from Oakland Community College, where she was the president and founder of OCC’s Students for Sensible Drug
SSDP Is Hiring A U.S. Federal Policy Liaison!
Have you ever wanted to work for Students for Sensible Drug Policy? We’re hiring a U.S. Federal Policy Liaison! Working for SSDP is a great opportunity to serve our network of students and young people who are leading the charge to end the disastrous War on Drugs and heal from the harms of drug prohibition. SSDP is overseen by our
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 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
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 Country Highlight: Lebanon (Part 2)
This is the second part of our Global Country Highlight on Lebanon. If you have not seen the first part, please click here. Civil Society In my view, the NGOs working in Lebanon set a fantastic example for activists everywhere, covering key areas of policy change, network building, medical treatment, and harm reduction. Civil society’s interrelated web of activity demonstrates
Introducing Los Angeles Community College SSDP
Written by Lucca Pastore ‘20, Los Angeles Community College Chapter LeaderHow did you hear about SSDP?I heard about Students for Sensible Drug Policy through social media. Specifically Instagram, and even more specifically from an account called @25i_nbomeme. The admin of this account posts a lot of funny bilingual memes and also talks a lot about harm reduction on his page,
Introducing Two More Interns on the SSDP Global Team
At the start of the Fall semester, SSDP renewed our Policy Internship (now called “U.S. Federal Liaison”) and found our new Digital Communications Intern!Abhi Dewan ‘18 – United States Federal LiaisonAbhi is primarily responsible for assisting the development and implementation of SSDP’s United States federal legislative strategies and co-facilitating our United States Policy Council. Abhi is an advocate, a life-long
Fill Out Our SSDP Membership Survey
Authors: Mariah Gaither ’16, Rob Hofmann ’16, Luis Montoya ’16 As our organization continues to grow and operate through this incredibly turbulent year, we must make sure that our work is centering the desires and advocacy of our members. What would you like SSDP to do more of, or do a better job at? Is there something you want to
SSDP Country Highlight: Lebanon
Earlier this year, I was taken aback by civil society’s impressive commitment to drug policy reform and advocacy in Lebanon. As SSDP’s first Country Highlight, I’m excited to shine a spotlight on this beautiful and complicated country, to explore its drug laws, recent and important developments, and most importantly, share some of the fantastic work of civil society. In the
SSDP Opens International Office
Students for Sensible Drug Policy has opened its International Office in Vienna, Austria. This historical move is an important step in the restructuring of SSDP’s Global Programs and will help SSDP’s operations become more reflective of the network’s global nature. Our new office is located at Impact Hub Vienna, an inspirational and diverse community of global changemakers. From there, Director
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
