Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP)

We are thrilled to announce that Rowan University SSDP has been awarded our brand new SSDP Chapter of the Year Award! Congratulations to Ryan Ems, Dylan Bauer, Sydney Turner, Christopher Egurrola, Kit Lillia, and all the other members of Rowan SSDP. Thank you for embodying the spirit and mission of SSDP with such enthusiasm and dedication.

Every 31 seconds, another person is arrested for a drug offense in the United States.   It takes just 30 seconds to submit a public comment calling for marijuana decriminalization using our tool. SUBMIT NOW: bit.ly/DECRIM There’s just TEN DAYS left.

Hey SSDP! Join the Alumni Association every third Thursday from 8-10 pm ET for a casual virtual happy hour to relax and reconnect with your SSDP family. Our next hang is next week! Stay the whole time or just drop in for a few minutes on the go. JOIN HERE: https://lnkd.in/eai8aEWA Who you bringing? Tag them in the comments 👇

This spring, the Biden Administration opened a time-limited public comment period for members of the American public to weigh in on their proposal to reschedule marijuana to Schedule III. And out of over 25,000 total submissions, more than two-thirds of those comments demanded federal marijuana decriminalization or descheduling, not rescheduling. We are the majority. And we know our voices are being heard loud and clear. With 2 weeks left in the public comment period, we need to keep up the pressure. That’s why United for Marijuana Decriminalization, of which SSDP is a proud member, has released a simple tool to submit a comment in favor of descheduling marijuana completely — because Schedule III is not legalization and it will not stop arrests. TODAY at 2:00 p.m. ET: Attend our virtual workshop (featuring Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) Executive Director Kat Murti and Drug Policy Alliance Director of Drug Markets and Legal Regulation Cat Packer) to learn how to submit a public comment to the DEA in support of ending federal marijuana criminalization—and why it matters. VIRTUAL WEBINAR: https://lnkd.in/epucag42 PUBLIC COMMENT TOOL: https://lnkd.in/dWzWVzju

Marijuana arrests are rising in the Land of the Free. 🇺🇸 A quarter million people were arrested on cannabis charges in the U.S. in 2022 (the last year for which we have data). That’s more than the year before. And, 92% of those arrests were for simple possession. There are nearly 3,000 Americans who are serving long term sentences—some life sentences—in federal prison (and tens of thousands more at the state and local levels) for conduct involving amounts of cannabis that are far less than what dispensaries handle on a daily basis. And symbolic importance aside, President Biden’s two major pardons for those with cannabis charges somehow still didn’t release a SINGLE person from behind bars. Let’s be clear: marijuana is not legal now and it won’t be under Schedule III. Schedule III will not stop arrests, it will not release a single person from prison, it will not break the paper shackles of a criminal conviction, and—as we have seen play out across the country—legalization without decriminalization puts a target on the backs of every young person, who is now more likely to have their future destroyed by police intervention and arrests. This is our moment: we have the opportunity right now to finally bring the War on Drugs in this country—at least when it comes to cannabis—to an end. 1. Go to this link: https://lnkd.in/dWzWVzju 2. Type your name, email, and address 3. Submit a federal comment calling for descheduling marijuana. It takes less than a minute! What better way to celebrate the Fourth of July? 🤔🗽

The White House asked for feedback on their proposal to reschedule marijuana. 68% of ~25k comments demand federal decriminalization, not just rescheduling. The Biden admin’s listening & we need your help. Add to the chorus that rescheduling isn’t enough https://lnkd.in/dWzWVzju

Drug legalization is not only harm reduction but also a public health, public safety, and racial justice issue. Every year, there are more than 1.5 million drug arrests in the United States. More than 80% of these arrests are for possession only. Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia have already decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana, and some are exploring the merits of decriminalizing other drugs. The opioid crisis has jump-started the conversation on the best approach to drug use across the country, including in Maryland. While drug decriminalization is a step in the right direction, it does not go far enough to protect the rights of people who use drugs and people of color. The War on Drugs has been an epic failure and it will take love, determination, vision, and leadership to open people’s minds about ending prohibition. Join Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and the National Coalition for Drug Legalization for this important conversation in Baltimore, Maryland this coming Monday, July 8th. Register: https://lnkd.in/e5pTqfM7

This semester, in addition to participating in conferences and other events at the national level, SSDP’s Chapters organized a whopping 136 on-campus events at universities across the country, including 53 naloxone, fentanyl testing strips, and/or overdose reversals trainings.

The drug warriors are flooding the federal register with comments in favor of marijuana criminalization. We need to fight back! It’s easy and takes less than a minute: 1. Click this link: https://lnkd.in/dWzWVzju 2. Type your name, address, and email 3. Smash that submit button 4. Share this post and tell your friends That’s it! This is our moment. Let’s make it happen.

Let’s Legalize 🍁💨 SSDP, as a proud member of United for Decrim, has released a new tool that will submit a public comment on your behalf to tell the Biden Administration that a shift to Schedule III—while an improvement over current policy—still isn’t enough. It’s easy. Just click on the link in our bio, type your name, address, and email, and hit submit. YOU have the power to make a difference! And all it takes is less than two minutes of your time and a couple clicks. The more comments we submit before July 22, the stronger our chance of making a difference. Submit a comment now and spread the word 🗣️ https://lnkd.in/dWzWVzju