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SSDP Science Policy Committee successfully pushes back on DEA effort to criminalize psychedelic research
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SSDP Science Policy Committee successfully pushes back on DEA effort to criminalize psychedelic research On Friday August 26, 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) withdrew proposed Schedule I status for 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine (DOC). The notice states that “The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is withdrawing a proposed rule that was published in the Federal Register on
Countdown For Cannabis Clemency
Two years ago today, SSDP and Last Prisoner Project joined forces to mobilize a rally in Washington D.C. for cannabis justice. Our goal then (and now) is to keep reminding the President of his campaign promise to release cannabis prisoners and provide them with retroactive relief. While this administration has made progress, President Biden has yet to release a single federal
Meet the Legal Team Fighting the DEA to Save Psychedelic Research – Psychedelics Today
We are grateful to Psychedelics Today for educating the community about the importance of DOI & DOC. “I have many colleagues who work with these compounds who will testify in the upcoming hearing, and that is only a subset of the research community,” said Elijah Ullman, Chair of SSDP’s Science Policy Council who has been interested in science policy since
DEA Faces Setback As Judge Denies Request To Block Witnesses In Psychedelics Ban Hearing – Benzinga
In a significant development for psychedelics research, a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) administrative law judge has rejected the agency’s request to block key witnesses and evidence in an upcoming hearing. The case, set for November, challenges the DEA’s proposed ban on two psychedelic compounds, DOI and DOC, which are used in research. Thank you to Benzinga for sharing this important the DOI and DOC hearing news.
Looking Ahead to Psychedelic Science 2025 in Denver next June
SSDP is proud to serve as a community partner for MAPS Psychedelic Science, taking place June 16-20, 2025 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. In 2023, Psychedelic Science hosted over 12,000 guests and was the largest psychedelic gathering in the world with classes and workshops, 10 educational stages, expo hall, and Deep Space, an immersive and interactive art experience.
DEA Judge Denies Agency’s Request To Block Witnesses In Hearing Challenging Proposed Psychedelics Ban – Marijuana Moment
“Science prevails!” SSDP Executive Director Kat Murti told Marijuana Moment on Monday. “The DEA is trying to force medical research into the dark ages by criminalizing DOI and DOC—essential research chemicals in pre-clinical psychiatry and neurobiology whose status as unscheduled compounds has made them de facto tools for researchers studying serotonin receptors.” “SSDP is proud to have brought together the
The Importance of Language and Cannabis Reform
We all know that words matter, but can the way we speak about a plant have legal implications? SSDP appointed board member and Prop 19 alum Evan Nison believes so, and broaches this important topic in a recent article he wrote that was published in Legal Reader. The article reflects on the importance of language especially within the context of
Introducing SSDP’s Yes on 4 Campaign Educators
Yes on 4, The Natural Psychedelic Substances Act, is a citizen-led ballot question that will enable therapeutic access to natural psychedelic medicines that show promise in treating mental health conditions in Massachusetts. The measure creates a regulated framework for supervised use with trained facilitators at licensed psychedelic therapy centers and removes criminal penalties for limited personal use. SSDP’s Gina Giorgio
Sign Up to Support SSDP and Science at Historic Public Hearing on DOI and DOC
SSDP is leading the fight to keep psychedelic research legal! The DEA wants to add two important research chemicals—2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine (DOC)—to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, despite decades of safe usage in labs and no history of abuse. DOI and DOC’s current status as unscheduled compounds has made them de facto tools for researchers studying serotonin
Investors Hangout: DEA Witness Denial Sparks Outcry Among Advocates
Published on October 7, 2024 in Investors Hangout by Owen Jenkins. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has caused quite a stir by denying testimony from important witnesses just before scheduled hearings on the potential classification of two psychedelic compounds, 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine (DOC). This decision has led to significant backlash from advocates, most notably the Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Benzinga: DEA Rejects Witnesses For November Hearings On Two Psychedelic Compounds, Advocates Push Back
Coverage on October 7, 2024 in Benzinga by Juan Spínelli. “What is the DEA so scared of that these leading scientists must be muzzled?” asked Robert Rush, a Denver-based attorney representing SSDP. He criticized the agency for attempting to block testimony from some of the world’s foremost experts in neuroscience and pharmacology. Read more in Benzinga here.
Green Market Report: DEA rejects speakers for November hearings on two psychedelic compounds
We are grateful to Debra Borchardt from Green Market Report for her coverage on the DOI/DOC hearings published on October 4, 2024. “What is the DEA so scared of that these leading scientists must be muzzled?” said Robert Rush, a Denver-based attorney who is working hand-in-hand with SSDP to keep research using DOI and DOC legal. “By trying to silence
Filter: DEA Bids to Exclude Expert Witnesses From Psychedelics-Ban Hearing
Special thanks to Jack Gorsline from Filter Magazine for a deeper look into the DEA’s response to our expert witnesses for the DOI and DOC hearing. Published on October 4, 2024. “We have assembled a world-class international group of behavioral and molecular pharmacologists, chemists, neuroscientists, and a former Government Advisor on psychoactive drugs,” added SSDP’s Elijah Ullman, who is himself pursuing
Marijuana Moment: DEA Seeks To Block Experts From Giving ‘Incompetent’ Testimony At Hearing On Proposed Psychedelics Ban
DOI and DOC’s current status as unscheduled compounds has made them de facto tools for researchers studying serotonin receptors. They have featured in more than 900 research articles and show promise for pain management, combatting anxiety and depression, and preventing overdose. Scheduling DOI and DOC would create serious impediments to potentially life-saving research, and yet SSDP is the only drug
DEA SILENCES SCIENTISTS; STUDENT GROUP PUSHES BACK AGAIN
Contact:Gina Giorgio Director of Strategy and DevelopmentStudents for Sensible Drug Policygina@ssdp.org DEA SILENCES SCIENTISTS; STUDENT GROUP PUSHES BACK AGAIN Since 2022, Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) Has Led the Fight to Prevent the DEA From Scheduling DOI and DOC, Which Would Create Serious Impediments to Potentially Life-Saving Research [Washington D.C., October 3, 2024] — Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP)—a
SSDP Partners with Overdrive Defense To Make Drug Checking Cool
Over 100,000 people died from overdose in the United States last year. Many of these overdoses were caused by Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine that has exacerbated the overdose epidemic caused by the War on Drugs. These deaths were preventable—the criminalization and stigmatization of drugs and
Meet Deandré Smith, SSDP’s New Director of Chapter Relations and Strategic Expansion
SSDP is pleased to welcome Deandré Smith as our new Director of Chapter Relations and Strategic Expansion. Deandré has experienced SSDP through many different lenses—as an SSDP Ambassador at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), where he is a Doctor of Pharmacy candidate, as an alum of SSDP’s HBCU Ambassador program and Psychedelic Pipeline, and as Vice Chair of our
Reimagining the Drug War Amid Rising Coca Cultivation in Central America – WOLA
This podcast episode features Kendra McSweeney and Fritz Pinnow, part of a team investigating a new trend: the emergence of coca cultivation in Central America. McSweeney, a professor of geography at Ohio State University, has research human-environment interactions, cultural and political ecology, conservation and development, resilience, demography, and land use/cover change. Pinnow is a Honduras-based journalist and documentary photographer specializing in illicit economies,
Earthstar’s Intentional Music Fest Takes Center Stage in Joshua Tree – Yahoo Finance
SSDP is excited to be a part of Earthstar Festival, a plant medicine unconference meets music festival taking place in the heart of Joshua Tree, California. Learn more here.
Expanding Minds – The Assembly
SSDP was mentioned in The Assembly’s article discussing how North Carolina has been part of a national movement to broaden the use of MDMA to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and quoted SSDP’s Gina Giorgio. Last year, the Health House Standing Committee of the N.C. General Assembly approved the Breakthrough Therapies Research and Advisory Act unanimously, which would allocate $5.4 million to support
Shape the Future of Drug Education With SSDP
We are excited to announce our new Drug Education Committee, and are looking for passionate and skilled individuals to join us in shaping the future of drug education and harm reduction on college campuses and in school systems nationwide! Apply to Join What We’re Doing: By joining the SSDP Drug Education Committee, you’ll get the opportunity to support the following
SSDP Features in The Microdose
The Microdose is an independent journalism newsletter supported by the U.C. Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics with over 45,000 subscribers Scheduling DOI and DOC would create serious impediments to potentially life-saving research, and yet SSDP is the only drug policy organization currently fighting to keep DOI and DOC off the Controlled Substances Act. The future of psychedelics rests
Yes on 4: Massachusetts will vote to create legal access to natural psychedelics this fall
Yes on 4: Massachusetts will vote to create legal access to natural psychedelics this fall After the recent decision by the FDA to not approve MDMA for the treatment of PTSD, it’s clear that the route to legal access for psychedelics will run through the states for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, there’s growing momentum behind state-focused efforts to legalize psychedelics.
Victory for Harm Reduction in Pennsylvania!
Susquehanna University SSDP Secures University Approval for Naloxone Distribution on Campus
DEA SCHEDULES FIRST-EVER TWO WEEK PUBLIC HEARING ON PSYCHEDELICS
Contact:Gina Giorgio Director of Strategy and DevelopmentStudents for Sensible Drug Policygina@ssdp.org DEA SCHEDULES FIRST-EVER TWO WEEK PUBLIC HEARING ON PSYCHEDELICS IN ONGOING STUDENT-LED EFFORT TO PREVENT THE WRONGFUL SCHEDULING OF VITAL RESEARCH CHEMICALS WITH PROMISING MEDICAL POTENTIAL Since 2022, Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) Has Led the Fight to Prevent the DEA From Scheduling DOI and DOC, Which Would Create
