Hey everyone, yet another chapter joins our ever growing Florida network. Please, join me in welcoming Florida Institute of Technology’s founder and chapter leader Natalia Colon! I got a chance to ask Natalia some questions about her experience so far and her goals for the future. Here’s what she had to say: How did you hear about SSDP? I came
The War on Drugs is a war on us, our friends, and our families. To many of us, SSDP is the vehicle through which we end these senseless atrocities and unnecessary pain caused by the prohibition. That is why when Victor told me that he wanted to start a chapter at Appalachian State University, I knew SSDP would be a
It’s with great joy that I introduce Zechariah “Zech” Hilles and the Rollins College SSDP chapter. Located in Orlando, Florida, this is the tenth currently active chapter to join our network in the state of Florida. Zechariah reached out about starting a dual SSDP and Psychedelic club situation on his campus, after getting the idea from a Chapter Leader in
Good news, everyone: we have a new addition to the family. Join me in welcoming Nick Contillo and the Wake Forest University Chapter! I had the pleasure of getting to talk to Nick and asked him some questions about himself and the Wake Forest University chapter, and I’d like to share some of his responses: How did you hear about
Last month, the 2017 Southeast Regional SSDP Conference took place on the campus of the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens, GA. This event marked the first time an SSDP conference has been held in that state. The chapter network in Georgia has been one of the most successful state-wide SSDP networks in recent memory. This conference marked a culmination
Students from SSDP’s Florida chapters convened at the beautiful campus of Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) on October 21st and 22nd for the 2016 SSDP Florida State Conference. The conference began Saturday morning with SSDP Executive Director Betty Aldworth giving the opening keynote address. Betty spoke about a variety of topics based on the requests she received from students prior
This past weekend, I attended the 2016 Students for Sensible Drug Policy International Conference in Washington DC. My closest family and friends know how passionate I am about the need for sensible drug policies in the United States and around the world, and this weekend invigorated me for what the future holds in drug policy reform. One of the ideas
Those of you who have been following SSDP for several years will be familiar with our distinguished Board member Jeremy Sharp. Jeremy founded the SSDP chapter at the main campus of the University of North Georgia (UNG) back in August of 2013. Since then, the UNG SSDP chapter has been one of the most successful chapters in the entire SSDP
Written by SSDP Board Member, Jeremy Sharp The “Wild Hog Supper” is a tradition in Georgia Politics. The event is held annually and is hosted by the Georgia Food Bank Association. The premise of the event is to serve as a means for legislators, lobbyist, and engaged citizens to mingle and talk about the upcoming legislative session. In partnership with
Written by Hayley Moran, University of Tennessee SSDP When I was in fifth grade, I won the D.A.R.E. essay contest and read my essay in front of the entire school. Now, I don’t actually have a copy of this essay (which I’m actually quite thankful for) but I can imagine that 5th grade me said something along the lines of,
We have another new SSDP chapter in North Carolina, UNC Charlotte! The chapter leaders, Cody Dorce and Juliuse Mallari were able to navigate the process of becoming officially recognized by their school in just a few weeks. This chapter is wholly focused on pursuing a campus-level medical amnesty policy and reducing or eliminating punitive measures (to the greatest extent possible) by
Meet Olympia Karageorgieou and Josh Shumate, the Chapter President and Vice President of the University of Alabama SSDP chapter. Olympia and Josh have already been making waves during their first semester on campus. They were able to leverage their relationships with the Student Government Association to pass a medical amnesty resolution, sparking a meeting with campus administration to pursue the
Written by Miranda Gottlieb, University of Tennessee SSDP chapter leader Members from the SSDP chapter at the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) have put together a policy team for the 2nd annual Howard Baker Policy Challenge with a policy initiative focusing on developing a clean needle exchange in Nashville, Tennessee. The semester-long commitment to the Policy Challenge program helps students learn how to
Last week, I had the opportunity to Skype into the first ever chapter meeting of Guilford College SSDP. It was without a doubt one of the best, first meetings I have ever attended. This was not very surprising to me because the chapter founder, Christian Honein, has been a thoughtful and communicative partner over the recent months as I have
In the summer of 2015 we expanded our Southeast Region to include the state of North Carolina. This has been a treat for me because it meant that I was given the opportunity to coordinate one of the fastest growing states in SSDP’s network. NC also happens to have one of the best medical amnesty laws and overdose prevention efforts of any state in
Written by College of Charleston SSDP Vice President, Daniel Miles The story begins last year, during my freshman year at College of Charleston and my first few months as an “SSDP rockstar” (as my old chapter leader Lisa Diamond used to call me). She told me that there was this project I could work on that had been gathering dust
The SSDP network is seeing a surge of activity in the state of Alabama, with students working to form chapters on 4 campuses around the state this semester. Dana Ullrich is a part of that surge. She is our newest chapter founder at the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) where she is pursuing her Master’s Degree in Public Administration. Dana
In over four years of being involved with SSDP as a student or staff member I have rarely met anyone with as much enthusiasm about starting an SSDP chapter as Utang Enyenihi and Megan Cook. Earlier this summer, I was invited to speak at the incoming campus coordinator retreat for Students for Liberty (SFL) in Arlington, VA. After the event,
There is a lot of misinformation floating around about Florida’s Amendment 2. Check out the facts here so you are able to combat this misinformation with truth. These facts are reprinted from http://ballotpedia.org/Florida_Right_to_Medical_Marijuana_Initiative,_Amendment_2_(2014). More facts about medical marijuana and the initiative can be found here. Pot for Anyone who wants it loophole CLAIM: In reference to the availability of medical marijuana, the