Tag: harm reduction

22
Nov

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

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6
May

Students Urge the Biden Administration to Center Harm Reduction in the Methamphetamine Response Plan of 2021

President Bident recently signed the “Methamphetamine Response Act of 2021” into effect, naming methamphetamine as an “emerging drug threat” and directing the Office of National Drug Control (ONDCP) to implement a Methamphetamine Response Plan within 90 days of the signing of the bill. While we are concerned that this law is now targeting people who use methamphetamine with outdated prohibitionist

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28
Mar

Students partner with testing manufacturer to provide free harm reduction tools to youth

Luis Montoya  luis@ssdp.org Cameron Scally Cameron@dosetest.com March 28, 2022— Students for Sensible Drug Policy and DoseTest are partnering to expand access to drug checking kits and drug checking services for young people who use drugs and their peers across the United States. The partnership was borne out of a mutual desire to make these potentially life saving harm reduction tools

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10
Mar

Panel: Drug Legalization as a Public Health Measure

Every year, there are more than 1.5 million drug arrests in the United States. More than 80% of these arrests are for possession only. Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia have already decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana, and some are exploring the merits of decriminalizing other drugs. While drug decriminalization is a step in the right

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18
Jan

Missoula SSDP successfully pressures Administration to protect student health and safety

The University of Montana SSDP chapter (Missoula SSDP) had a major win in September of 2020 when a unanimous decision to adopt their proposed medical amnesty policy was announced by their Student Government, which was the beginning of their efforts to bring medical amnesty protections on campus. I had the opportunity to speak to Vice President and Treasurer Michael Layeux

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10
Nov

WAKE FOREST SCHOOL OF MEDICINE STUDENTS FOR SENSIBLE DRUG POLICY SUCCESSFULLY BANS THE BOX ON THEIR SCHOOL APPLICATION

Interview with Lindsey Galbo, Wake Forest SOM SSDP Chapter President Lindsey Galbo ‘19 is the Founder and President of the Wake Forest School of Medicine Students for Sensible Drug Policy chapter. Lindsey and the rest of the Wake Forest SOM chapter have focused primarily on the intersection of harm reduction, scientific research, education, and policy change. They’ve worked with local

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11
Oct

SSDP and Fireside Project announce collaboration

Students for Sensible Drug Policy is excited to partner with Fireside Project in the interest of peer support and psychedelic harm reduction!    The mission of Fireside Project is, “to help people minimize the risks and fulfill the potential of their psychedelic experiences in ways such as providing compassionate, accessible, and culturally responsive peer support, educating the public, and furthering
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23
Aug

Interview with Annajane Yolken

Interviewer: Liza Begum, Global Operations and U.S. Policy Intern Annajane Yolken is a public health advocate, working to translate data and research into evidence-based drug policy. She is a co-founder and co-chair of the Substance Use Policy, Education, and Recovery (SUPER) PAC. She is also Director of Programs at Project Weber/RENEW, a peer-based harm reduction service organization in Rhode Island. 

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16
Aug

SSDP’s European Committee is Recruiting New Members for its Harm Reduction Working Group

The SSDP European Committee is happy to open its doors to the freshly formed Harm Reduction Working Group. If you’re a chapter member, alumni, or Ambassador in Europe, then this is your chance to contribute to regional efforts while boosting opportunities and resources for your own local area.

28
Jul

SSDP Burundi Hosts First Harm Reduction Event at the Institut Supérieur Islamique de Muyinga

Gathering over 60 participants, including educators and government members, SSDP Burundi chapter members successfully delivered a harm reduction focused event, raising awareness on the importance of non-judgmental, non-coercive provision of services to people who use drugs and the communities in which they live. Presented by chapter leaders Lambert Nduwayezu ‘20 and Egide Nduwayo ‘20, the workshop is part of larger

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14
Jul

Less Than 50 Days Until International Overdose Awareness Day

With less than 50 days to go until International Overdose Awareness Day, now is the time to start planning your event, if you haven’t started already. For those who aren’t used to organising events, don’t worry, we have a fantastic bank of event ideas, big and small, created by the Penington Institute. There’s one for everyone! Advocacy  Influencing policy is

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1
Jul

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

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27
Apr

Statement on Congress Voting to Extend Trump-Era Class-Wide Scheduling and Mandatory Minimum Sentencing of Fentanyl Analogues

Written by Sarah Noon ‘18On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted to extend the Trump-era scheduling of fentanyl analogues, chemically similar substances—an approach that fails to mitigate overdose deaths, to mitigate other harms associated with substance use, and expands the use of harsh mandatory minimum sentencing laws currently set to expire May 6th. Today, the Senate will vote on the

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6
Apr

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.”

12
Aug

Youth at risk and youth on show – Young people’s engagement in global drug policy reform

By Beatrix Vas ’19, SSDP Global Development Intern & SSDP Budapest Chapter Leader In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly declared the 12th of August International Youth Day, intended to draw attention to and celebrate young people’s actions and achievements towards creating a better world for all. The theme of International Youth Day 2020 is “Youth Engagement for Global Action,”

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2
Jul

Drug Use and the LGBTQ+ Community – Taking Pride in Harm Reduction

This piece was originally published by YouthRISE Executive Director Ailish Brennan as a Press Release for SSDP Ireland for both Support. Don’t Punish. and Pride Weekend Celebrations in Ireland. Pride has become a time defined by love and acceptance for the LGBTQ+ community (LGBTQ+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning and the + is for everyone else who identifies

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5
Jun

DEA, Go Away!

Our nation is confronting the latest spate of escalated violence in a centuries-long epidemic of police brutality against people of color. As #JusticeforGeorgeFloyd demonstrators turn out all over the world, the Drug Enforcement Administration is conducting warrantless surveillance and enforcement against any federal crime committed in association with those very demonstrations! Click here to call on Congress to protect your
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20
May

Harm Reduction & Drug Prevention: Civil Society’s Search For Common Ground

Author: Jacob Chagnon ’17 One of the most valuable aspects of attending the annual Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) is the opportunity to collaborate with other civil-society groups. This work extends beyond attending the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)-sponsored programming–the plenary, the side events–and beyond our network of youth-focused civil society, Paradigma. While many Non Governmental Organisations

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6
May

Just Say Know Drug Education Roundup – April 2020

Welcome to the Just Say Know monthly roundup! Here we will be sharing the latest in drug education and harm reduction each month. Our Virtual Conference was a success! We will be sharing session videos soon, and in the meantime, join us in our new Slack Channel, which we revived during the conference. Included there is a Just Say Know
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21
Apr

Announcing the #Sensible2020 Virtual Conference Program

In just ten days, #Sensible2020: The Virtual Drug Policy Conference will bring together Students for Sensible Drug Policy members, alumni, allies, community members, movement leaders, and many more for three days of cutting edge educational content, training, and skills-building. Being available to anyone with an internet connection and with tickets starting at $25 or 25 CAT points, this event will
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6
Apr

Just Say Know Drug Education Roundup – March 2020

Lastly, we’ve compiled a list of SSDP-related activities you can complete if you are self-isolating during COVID-19. Interested in learning more about how SSDP approaches drug education? Check out our Just Say Know Peer Education program, and contact vilmarie@ssdp.org with questions.

4
Mar

Just Say Know Drug Education Roundup – February 2020

Interested in learning more about how SSDP approaches drug education? Check out our Just Say Know Peer Education program, and contact vilmarie@ssdp.org with questions.

26
Feb

Leeds University Union Mandated to Supply Reagent Kits to the Student Body

Written by: Matt Port ‘19 SSDP Leeds Chair and SSDP UK Committee Chair This year, Leeds University Union (LUU) passed a referendum that requires them to provide free reagent drug checking kits on campus! This a direct result of the actions of Students for Sensible Drug Policy Leeds, and we’re so excited about working with LUU on making it happen.

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26
Feb

The First 6 Months of Starting a Chapter – Trinity College Dublin

Written by Trinity College Dublin Chapter Vice President Amie Hogan ’19. After our President, Eolann Davis ‘19, spoke about establishing a chapter in Trinity, I couldn’t not get involved. I was shocked that something like this didn’t already exist in my university, especially with the increasing amounts of students using drugs. Establishing this chapter was not completely plain sailing. Our

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3
Feb

This is the last week to apply for #Sensible2020 scholarships

Looking for additional ways to finance your trip to #Sensible2020: The Young People’s Drug Policy Conference? There is one week left to apply for conference scholarships! In addition to using your Chapter Activity Tracker (CAT) points to cover registration and lodging, there are three scholarship funds for which you can apply: Intersectionality Committee Scholarship - Students for Sensible Drug Policy’s
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