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Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) is an international nonprofit organization advocacy and education organization with focus on drug policy, war on drugs, marijuana legalization, psychedelics, juvenile justice and youth rights, drug decriminalization, criminal justice reform. SSDP promotes global youth civic engagement as a tool in reforming drug policy.
| Abbreviation | SSDP  |
|---|---|
| Established | 1988 (36 years ago) |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) organization |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Website | www |
SSDP has expanded from a single chapter in upstate New York created by a handful of students to a network of over 150 chapters worldwide.
Board
editSSDP is governed by a board of directors and a board of trustees, a designated body of the board of directors. Together, they are responsible for crafting strategy for the organization, overseeing compliance and financial affairs, and overseeing SSDP’s Executive Director.[1] At least two-thirds of the members of SSDP's board of directors are students or young people elected by SSDP's chapters each year during the organization's national Congress. Maya Tatum, Arizona State University Tempe campus, is the current chair.
Main issues
editMarijuana policy reform
editStudents and chapters work on marijuana policy reform[2] at the local, state, and federal levels by supporting legislation and ballot initiatives for decriminalization, medical marijuana, adult-use taxation and regulation, and social equity measures for communities disproportionately targeted by marijuana prohibition.[3]
Psychedelic policy reform
editSSDP provides resources for its members to advocate for psychedelic policy reform,[4] such as psychedelic therapy programs and allowing the research of currently prohibited psychedelic substances by researchers.[5]
Ending student drug testing
editStudents should not have to submit to a drug test at random[6] or to participate in extracurricular activities.[7]
Global drug policy
editSSDP is a member of the Economic and Social Council and thus a consultant to its functional commissions. As such, SSDP has been advocating for policy reform and youth inclusion at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, including the 2016 Special Session of the UN General Assembly on the World Drug Problem and the High Level Ministerial Segment in 2019.[8]
SSDP Global Drug Policy and Development Consultant, Orsi Fehér, held the office of Treasurer on the board of the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs between 2018–2020.
SSDP's former International Program Coordinator, Jake Agliata, is a co-founder of the Paradigma Youth Coalition.
The organization also coordinates youth participation in global campaigns such as Support. Don't Punish and International Overdose Awareness Day.
Portugal's drug policy, implemented in 2001, is based on the principle of harm reduction. Drug use and possession for personal use are no longer criminal offenses but administrative ones. Instead of facing criminal charges, individuals caught with drugs are referred to a Commission for the Dissuasion of Drug Addiction, where they receive a health assessment and may be recommended for treatment. Portugal’s drug policy has been successful in reducing drug use and associated harms, including HIV infections and overdose deaths.[9]
Drug decriminalization
editSSDP encourages chapters to create and support campaigns to decriminalize simple drug possession and other low-level crimes associated with drug use.[10]
"Just Say Know" drug education
editJust Say Know[11] is a peer-to-peer drug education program, provides evidence-based drug information on campus and empowers them to reduce drug-related harm within their communities.[12]
Campus chapters
editSSDP is made up of students and community members organized on college and high school campuses across the world. In 2015–2016, SSDP chapters were on 320 campuses, included 4,312 student activists and engaged in 135 drug policy initiatives. In 2021, the movement expanded to over 30 countries and all six habitable continents.
International
editSSDP’s international chapters engage in reform from their campus and community to the United Nations, representing the voices of youth from their countries and sharing their experiences fighting the drug war with their fellow SSDPers all over the world.[13]
SSDP’s international network has doubled in size through 2018 and expanded its structure to include regional fellowships to represent the specific needs of the Latin American, West African and European chapters.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "The Student Movement to End the Drug War Has a New Leader". www.filtermag.org. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
- ^ "Types of Marijuana Policy Reform Laws". www.mpp.org. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
- ^ "Opioid crisis, cannabis laws at forefront of Students for Sensible Drug Policy conference". www.redandblack.com. 30 October 2018. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
- ^ "Students for Sensible Drug Policy Working to End the War on Psychedelics". www.maps.org. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
- ^ "Beyond Cannabis: Psychedelic Decriminalization and Social Justice" (PDF). www.law.lclark.edu.
- ^ "The Effectiveness of Mandatory – Random Student Drug Testing" (PDF). www.ies.ed.gov. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
- ^ "Students Rally for 'Sensible' Drug Policy". www.thelantern.com. 18 November 2001. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
- ^ "Special Session of the General Assembly UNGASS 2016". www.unodc.org. Archived from the original on 2021-09-08. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
- ^ "Portugal Drug Laws under Decriminalization". Portugal.com. 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
- ^ "Decriminalize Nature and Students for Sensible Drug Policy Create a Community Healing Alliance". www.hightimes.com. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
- ^ Beck, J. (1998). "100 years of "just say no" versus "just say know". Reevaluating drug education goals for the coming century". Evaluation Review. 22 (1): 15–45. doi:10.1177/0193841X9802200102. PMID 10183299. S2CID 25765373. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
- ^ "Students 'just say know' to drugs". www.theithacan.org. November 2012. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
- ^ "Students for Sensible Drug Policy Announces $50,000 Match Campaign". www.globalnewswire.com (Press release). 14 December 2018. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
