Throughout 2019-2020, the whole world faced some serious challenges. In the face of these challenges, young drug policy activists showed tireless commitment to fighting for the rights or people who use drugs and advocating for policies grounded in human rights. This year, the resilience of our movement was put to the test and once again, we have proven the strength
This blog is written by Dominic Gill ‘21 & the SSDP Huddersfield Committee. Chapter Leader: Tell me a bit about yourself, what you study, your interests and why you decided to start a chapter. Hi, I’m Dominic and I am a final-year Politics student at the University of Huddersfield. I’ve only recently become interested in drug policy, and have been
In early December, the brand new SSDP Africa Orientation Training was launched, with the 5 well-prepared, eager, and motivated facilitators ready to train the first batch of participants and begin the task of certifying our members. Read about who they are and the creation of this training here. The first round of this training saw 12 participants in attendance of
Written by chapter leader Sim Sembi ‘20 and the SSDP Newcastle chapter members. Tell me a bit about yourself, what you study, your interests and why you decided to start a chapter. We are both intercalating medical students at Newcastle University. We wanted to restart SSDP Newcastle to represent the student voice in the reformation of the drug policy and
Tell me a bit about yourself, what you study, your interests, and why you decided to start a chapter. My name is Dennis Lemke. I am a 20-year-old student starting my first year of a Bachelor’s in Psychology (international track) at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. I originally come from Germany, but moved to the Netherlands 5 months
In spite of the many challenges of 2020, Students for Sensible Drug Policy made some incredible accomplishments this year. Through the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic, upending of campus life, and rapid shifts in change-making strategies, we’ve seen our network members step up and reinvent the ways we organize. SSDP’s vision of a post-prohibition future where safety, justice, and
We are thrilled to announce that SSDP International’s inaugural General Assembly will take place virtually on the 29th of January 2021. During the General Assembly, SSDP International will vote in it’s first cohort of board members, vote on bylaw changes, and vote on an amended international mission. Voting will open on the 26th of January and conclude during the General
This is an interview with Justin Nkunzimana ‘20, chapter leader of SSDP Rwanda Tell me a bit about yourself, what you study, your interests and why you decided to start a chapter. My name is Justin Nkunzimana and I am advocate for peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development. I am student at the University of Rwanda and I am
This is an interview with Aisling Hudson ’20 & the new SSDP University College Dublin team. Why did you want to get involved/what made you decide to start a chapter? I am Aisling Hudson ’20, a final year undergraduate, mature student, studying social policy and sociology. I’m very young at heart. My main interest is in cannabis reform, although I
This is the second part in our series “Eliminating Violence against Women Who Use Drugs”, see the first part here. The featured image on this article was sourced from the UN Women Social Media Trello. Find more images to share from this campaign here. November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and marks the beginning of
Are you interested in global drug policy? Would you like to learn more about the United Nations and how Students for Sensible Drug Policy advocates there? Sign up for our United Nations training series! SSDP has been advocating at the United Nations for better drug policies for over five years. Every year we send a delegation of SSDPers to Vienna,
Lambert Nduwayezu is a writer, blogger and actor, he studied Economics at the University of Ngozi. A libertarian, he believes that individual and economic freedom is the only way for our Africa to prosper and dreams of an Africa where limited government serves the rule of law. So everyone is free to make their choice without any government intervention. He
We are excited to announce that we have partnered with the International Network of People Who Use Drugs (INPUD) and DrugReporter to coordinate showings of their newly released docuseries ‘Taking Back What’s Ours: An Oral History of the Movement of People Who Use Drugs’. Each episode is dedicated to different regions and countries, and how the movement developed there. It’s
Students for Sensible Drug Policy stands in solidarity with the people of Nigeria protesting against the human rights abuses and police brutality committed by the Nigerian police force, particularly the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, also known as SARS. We condemn the actions of the Nigerian government, especially the infringing on the people’s right to protest by using violence and brutality, and
This report is written by our African Development Consultant, Moronfolu Adeniyi ’14, based on his experiences on the ground in Ogun State. More than a week ago now, police officers in their usual habits harrassed (shot) a young man in Ughelli part of Delta State. It was thought to be police from the common unit, Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) because
This article was written by SSDP Kenya Chapter Leader Marveine Atieno ’19. I am Marveline Atieno, a student at the University of Nairobi studying Political science and international relations. I am an upcoming activist and I decided to start the chapter because the previous team all graduated. I joined SSDP to stand for the rights of students who are currently
This article was written by King’s College London Chapter Leader Emily Jones ’19 Hi, I’m Emily and I am a second-year student at King’s College London where I am studying a Pharmacology BSc. Aside from my degree, Music is a big passion for me and I have attended many music events and festivals over the past few years, often being
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
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
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
The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is currently in the process of developing its next Strategy for 2021 and beyond – and members of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and Youth RISE are making sure the voice of young people who use drugs is heard, and considerations for our needs is included. UNAIDS unites the efforts of
The featured image on this article was sourced from Legalize Belarus and their accounts of the early days of the protests. See their article here. Today marks the 32nd consecutive day of protests marked by an unprecedented level of police brutality in the country of Belarus. The demonstration period erupted on August 9, 2020, to protest widely alleged election fraud
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,”