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Joint Statement from the Board: Bylaws, Rules, & Congress
The Board of Directors has recently voted to change the number of years for Director terms from 2 years to 3 years. This decision was reached by the board for the reasons below: An additional year provides more opportunities for projects and professional developmentProvides continuity as we continue to transition as an organization Standard Non-profit Board of Directors have a term
The MORE Act Is Coming Up For a Vote!
If you’re reading this email, you have probably already taken action to get your representatives to sign on to the MORE Act. We are anticipating another vote on the MORE Act in the next few weeks. Please take action to urge your House representative to vote YES on MORE!The vote is going to be close, and we need to keep
Feature: Kufikiri Imara
This is a more accessible, easier to read version of our social media posts that you can find on ohr Facebook and Instagram pages. “Black Futures Month is a visionary, forward-looking spin on celebrations of Blackness in February”. Today, we are featuring Kufikiri Imara and his poetry! Bio: Kufikiri Imara; born and raised on unceded Huichin territory of the Ohlone
JUST SAY KNOW DRUG EDUCATION ROUNDUP – January 2022
Huge Victory Against Aerial Crop Eradication in Colombia!
Thanks to the persistent grassroots resistance by Indigenous communities in Colombia like the Nasa Tribe, Colombia’s Constitutional Court has paused the aerial fumigation of coca plants, ruling that the government failed to consult communities affected by the spraying of toxic chemicals onto their land. The Court ruled that the Duque administration must fully consult with potentially affected communities before the
SSDP 2022 Award Nominations Are Open
Every year at our annual conference, Students for Sensible Drug Policy recognizes the exceptional achievements of our members, chapters, alumni, and allies. While SSDP will not be hosting an international conference this year, we will be hosting a virtual award ceremony and hopefully gathering in person this fall to celebrate our award winners and nominees from the last three years.
February Newsletter 2022
Note from the ED 📝 If you thought 2021 was an eventful year for drug policy, 2022 is going to be even better! We have a multitude of campaigns launching this year including a statewide ballot measure in Michigan, HBCU outreach in partnership with SMART, and efforts to ensure harm reduction programs are available at every university in the country.
SSDP and SMART to partner on HBCU outreach campaign to increase diversity in drug policy
Primary contacts: Jason Ortiz Executive Director, SSDP jason@ssdp.org, (860) 639-8101 Nadir Pearson Founder and CEO, SMART nadir@studentmmj.com For Immediate Release: SSDP and SMART to partner on HBCU outreach campaign to increase diversity in drug policy Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Student Marijuana Alliance for Research and Transparency launch co-branded HBCU outreach campaign February 1st, 2022— Students
SSDP, Decrim Nature become partners to promote compassion based public policy
For Immediate Release: National Decriminalization Advocacy Groups Launch Community Healing Alliance to Decriminalize Entheogens and Repair the Damage Done By the War on Drugs Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Decrim Nature create partnership to promote compassion and community healing based public policy Primary contacts: Jason Ortiz, 860-639-8101, jason@ssdp.org Executive Director, Students for Sensible Drug Policy Carlos Plazola, 510-207-7238, decrimnature@gmail.com Chair,
California State University Long Beach: SSDP Strengthens California Network
Interview with Rachael Gomez: President and Founder of California State University Long Beach SSDP SSDP’s Outreach Team is excited to announce the formation of a new chapter at the University of California Long Beach. Since getting started, the chapter has been actively organizing with fellow SSDPers in the Southern California area, connecting with community stakeholders and allies, and are learning
Apply to Become a Candidate for SSDP’s Board of Directors!
This year, the SSDP Congress will convene from April 7th – 8th, 2022, and provide each chapter in the network with the opportunity to elect new student members to the Board of Directors, and to vote on resolutions for the organizations. ELECTING STUDENT MEMBERS TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS As a nonprofit organization, SSDP is governed by the Board of
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
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
Your 2021 SSDP Wrapped
Students for Sensible Drug Policy did some amazing things in 2021. Our thoughtful, bright, and impressive young activists made huge strides towards SSDP’s vision of a post-prohibition future where safety, justice, and education are prioritized in drug policy. There’s no better time than right now to help us make 2021 even bigger by making a year-end gift. Your tax-deductible gift
Happy Holidays!
Friends, We wish you a gentle, safe, and healthy holiday season. Thank you for being a part of our community. With love, Your SSDP team From now until December 31st, all gifts made to SSDP will be matched up to $50,000. Make a gift today, and your contribution will go twice as far to support young people and sensible drug
We’re behind
At Students for Sensible Drug Policy, we deeply value all of our community members, whether they are alumni, students, youth, funders, or allies. We believe that our community should always be informed about our programs and financials, so I wanted to share with you our progress towards our fundraising goal this year. The fact is, we are behind. We are now
Rachel’s SSDP Origin Story
I wouldn’t be where I am today without the help of SSDP supporters like you, so I would like to tell you my SSDP origin story. Ten years ago, I was expelled from high school for drug possession. As both an honor student and a “troubled teen,” I felt so angry and disenfranchised for being punished and stigmatized, rather than
SSDP Event: Follow The Money! Taking Federal Action On Drug Policy Through Appropriations
Money. We all need it, and Congress has a lot of it. In July, the House Appropriations Committee passed a bill to allocate almost $69.5 million to expand syringe service programs – quadrupling the funding that was allocated last year. The Biden Administration has been slowly adopting more harm reduction-related language when discussing issues of drug policy but it is
Carmen’s SSDP Origin Story
Today is Giving Tuesday and it’s my one-year anniversary of working at Students for Sensible Drug Policy, so I am sharing my SSDP origin story with you. In 2012, shortly after my college graduation, I was arrested for cannabis possession. I was both ashamed of my arrest and fearful that I had jeopardized my future. After my experience with the
Join SSDP for psychedelic events in New York City this week
This week, Students for Sensible Drug Policy will be in New York City for the Horizons: Perspectives on Psychedelics Conference. To register with our special discount code for students + youth, email carmen@ssdp.org. We’ll also be co-hosting three side events during the conference! Check out the schedule below: Thursday, December 2nd – Psychedelic New York: Community, Advocacy, and Connection Location:
Team Highlight: Jeremy Sharp ‘13
For the rest of the year, we will be introducing you to our team at Students for Sensible Drug Policy! And now, we have Jeremy Sharp, Pacific Region Outreach Coordinator! Jeremy Sharp ‘13 (he/him) Pacific Region Outreach Coordinator Previous and/or Current Chapter Involvement University of North Georgia Short Bio Jeremy Sharp ’12 (he/him/his) is a convicted felon who graduated from
Team Highlight: Rachel Wissner ‘11
For the rest of the year, we will be introducing you to our team at Students for Sensible Drug Policy! Today, we have our Development Director, Rachel Wissner! Rachel Wissner ’11 (she/her) Development Director Previous and/or Current Chapter Involvement SUNY New Paltz 2011-2016 Short Bio Rachel Wissner is the Development Director at SSDP. Rachel began her career as a drug
Team Highlight: Jason Ortiz ‘08
For the rest of the year, we will be introducing you to our team at Students for Sensible Drug Policy! Next, we have our Executive Director, Jason Ortiz! Jason Ortiz ‘08 (he, him, el) Executive Director Previous and/or Current Chapter Involvement UConn Storrs, was CFO for many years Short Bio Jason Ortiz is an almnus of the UConn SSDP chapter,
Team Highlight: Carmen Winter ‘19
For the rest of the year, we will be introducing you to our team at Students for Sensible Drug Policy! First up, we have Carmen Winter, Development Associate! Carmen Winter ’19, (she/they) Development Associate Previous and/or Current Chapter Involvement Maryland Institute College of Art Short Bio Carmen Winter is a native Marylander and Washington, D.C. area based designer, researcher, and
Introducing the University of Denver SSDP Ambassador
We are excited to announce that we have a new Ambassador based out of the University of Denver, Georgia Horne ‘21! We met with Georgia to find out more about what brought them to the network and what they’re excited about. 1. Tell us a bit about yourself (anything that you’d like to share really) I am currently pursuing my
