Easy Star All Stars help spread the PA medical marijuana message

When Trevor Hosterman from West Chester SSDP volunteered to table the April 17th Easy Star All Stars/Cas Haley show at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, PA, he had no idea he'd end up on stage with the band. ESAS and Cas Haley are both in the AMPLIFY project family of artists, but not until now has an artist given our chapters such a voice. Here's what Trevor had to say about his experience:

The musical collective and SSDP AMPLIFY member, The Easy Star All Stars, had just wrapped up their set and walked off the stage, leaving the crowd inside the World Café Live in Philadelphia standing on edge, eager to hear more dubbed out tunes. Periodically, over the course of the show, I had held up a PA Medical Marijuana poster that we had been using while tabling the concert. I now found it appropriate to hold up the sign once more while the crowd waited for the All Stars to take the stage for their encore. It was then, that vocalist Kristy Rock walked out on to the stage and pointed at me and asked me to come join the band. I was dumbstruck, but managed to find my way up onto the stage where I came face to face with the crowd, proudly holding my PA Medical Marijuana poster. Once on stage, side by side with Kristy, she smiled at me, and began to tell a story. She spoke of her mother who lives in Denver, and how she is currently battling cancer, and is enduring the process of chemotherapy. Her mother is also a medical marijuana patient, and uses marijuana to help treat the pain and nausea associated with her chemotherapy treatments. Kristy gave a full endorsement of medical marijuana, and then handed me the microphone to inform the audience of our pending medical marijuana bill. I will ask you the same thing I asked the crowd, for those of us who live in Pennsylvania or have friends and family in the state, please encourage everyone you know to contact their state representative by phone, email, or writing a letter, and lets make Pennsylvania the next medical marijuana state!

This is just one example of how SSDP's AMPLIFY project can help your chapter's voice reach more people. The First Light Tour may be coming to a close soon, but you can always keep track of AMPLIFY shows here.

Outstanding Student Activist Award: Christopher Pezza

Chris after meeting with Congressional
Representatives in Washington, D.C.

At the 2011 SSDP Awards Dinner, Christopher Pezza was one of only two students recognized for their outstanding activism within SSDP.

Impressively, Chris has formed not one, but two SSDP chapters that are both currently active in Colorado. First, he organized students at Front Range Community College in Longmont. Under his leadership, the FRCC chapter worked on numerous campaigns and helped spread SSDP throughout the state. Before transferring to the University of Northern Colorado, Chris ensured that leadership was successfully passed on to Nick Davies (who earned himself Chapter Leader of the Week back in December 2010).

At UNCO, Chris quickly formed a new chapter of SSDP, and recruited other enthusiastic activists to help spread the message. He's currently campaigning for Director of University Relations position in the UNCO student senate.

In addition to all this, Chris now volunteers as SSDP's Colorado State Coordinator, helping to increase communication among established chapters in the state and also proactively seeking students to form new chapters.

Chapter Leader of the Week: Brandon Levey, University of Maryland

• Brandon Levey
• Junior at the University of Maryland, College Park
• Co-President with Zach Brown at UMD SSDP (longest active chapter in SSDP history, and still going strong!)

SSDP: When did you 1st get involved with SSDP?

LEVEY: I first got active in SSDP at the end of my first semester in college, in the spring semester of 2009. I looked through the student group directory that semester, checked out a few student groups, and of many groups found SSDP and NORML at UMD to be the ones that really were trying to make a difference. The members, people who I didn't know at the time but now are some of my closest friends, seemed the most committed, most organized, and most ready to make change.

SSDP: What has been your favorite SSDP experience?

LEVEY: When we were pushing for a Good Samaritan Policy (something that ended with success this semester!), we decided to reach out to parents on "Visit Maryland Weekend." While I knew that a GSP was something that was important, I was new to SSDP and a bit skeptical about talking to parents, an audience that might not have been as receptive to some of our issues as students. However, to my surprise, the parents were just as supportive of the policy as the students!

This was when I realized that SSDP was really a group that could appeal to all demographics. Drug policy reform is not at all limited to students or people our age, but is something that would positively affect everybody, even if they don't realize it yet.

SSDP: What issues are most important for your chapter?

LEVEY: In the 1980's, Len Bias, a rising basketball star, was about to graduate from our school when he died of a cocaine overdose. More recently, there have been other UMD drug and alcohol overdose deaths, including Danny Reardon of an alcohol overdose in 2002. Unfortunately but unsurprisingly, these deaths led to a University and even statewide crackdown on underage drinking and drug use, with harsher penalties and even the establishment of mandatory minimums.

Thanks to the incredible past leadership in our chapter, however, we finally got a Good Samaritan Policy covering alcohol overdose for both the victim and caller passed this semester. The general mindset on our campus has changed drastically towards a harm reduction rather than punitive approach, and SSDP has played the vital role in this. We hope to work and make this Good Samaritan Policy comprehensive in the coming year, and also plan on working towards an "alcohol-marijuana equalization" initiative. The punishments in our university for marijuana use are some of the strictest in the nation, and we will be pushing for more rational policies

SSDP: Do you have any events planned for this semester?

LEVEY: We've got a ton! Just in April alone, we are having a "religion, spirituality, and drug use" event where we will be hosting a campus Rabbi to discuss religious texts and how they look at drug use, both legal and illegal. We also plan on having Neill Franklin from LEAP at the end of this month, and having an event with our campus NORML chapter on the prohibition of synthetics such as K2 and Spice.

On the "fun and networking" side, SSDP and NORML on campus are hosting a "Safe Rave"- a rave to benefit our groups with harm reduction drug information and free water, as well as "Domefest"- a music festival featuring Papadosio and giving us an excellent opportunity to network with other groups and people on campus. Additionally, we will be participating in Relay for Life with many other students from around campus.

Join our Facebook group and/or our e-mail list to stay informed about these and other events at UMD.

SSDP: What do you like best about being part of SSDP?

LEVEY: The people, and the fact that all of us together really are making such an amazing change- on a school, local, regional, and even national level. Victory is coming sooner than we think.

SSDP: Do you have any advice for other chapter leaders?

LEVEY: Get as many new members as you can to conferences, both regional, national, and international! The one thing that will keep a member involved really is experiencing first-hand how awesome, organized, effective and fun SSDP is! Also, make sure that SSDP isn't a "meeting-only" type of organization by making sure to interact with active members in a different more relaxed setting as well.

SSDP: What's your favorite "SSDP quote"?

LEVEY: One of our super rock stars and chapter leaders, our secretary Justin Kander, said this about ending the drug war and allowing people to live in freedom:

"I'm just happy we have the opportunity to help eliminate pain the world, whatever we can do. Right now we sit in such comfort, but life can be absolutely destroyed by pain.. It must be eliminated to the greatest extent, no matter what, which is why we must keep fighting for what is right."

Mexico: First National Congress: The History and Practice of Drugs, An Anthropological Vision

Mexico City, Mexico -- On the eve of SSDP's annual training conference in Washington, DC, students at Mexico City's National School of Anthropology (ENAH) are preparing to hold their first national congress, from 11 - 14 April. Called "The History and Practice of Drugs: An Anthropological Vision," the students at the ENAH hope to dispel myths and inform various university communities in the capital about the legitimate study of drugs absent the prohibitionist paradigm.

SSDPs around the world (SSDPUK, SSDP International , Canada SSDP) often put together pathbreaking congresses and conferences. This March and April are no exception: as I write, around 400 students are descending on Washington, DC for a training conference and lobby day; Canada SSDP has just finished a crucial lobby day at Parliament; and SSDPUK is about to meet for its annual conference.

The Mexico City Congress brings a diversity of groups together. It unites SSDP Mexico with other local partners: SEISYC (Applied Visual Anthropology), CuPIHD (The Collective for An Integrated Drug Policy), ZombieNation FM, Espolea (A Civil Society Youth Organization), Biblioteca Cannabica (Cannabis Library), and the Escuela Nacional de Antropologia e Historia (ENAH, the National Anthropological School.) The event is intellectual and practical, as the workshops will help future members of SSDP understand how the organization has worked to reform failing drug policies under a regulationist paradigm. From the Congress, SSDP Mexico hopes to generate interest in forming chapters in universities, schools, centers, and institutes.

Across activities and events for three days, around thirty presenters will discuss issues such as Women and Drugs, Health and Illness, Drug Policy and Politics, Drugs and Human Rights, and Psychodelic Medicine. Espolea will present workshops on drug consumption and harm reduction, a crucial boon to Mexican youth who are often taught the ins and outs of drugs in schools by ideologically-motivated police officers. And there will be a photography exhibit and competition. The Congress begins with a keynote address by Julio Glockner, a renowned anthropologist, enitled "Altered Reality: Spiritual Drugs and Culture."

The organizers warmly welcome any who read this outside of Mexico to consider coming to the conference. There is no possibility of support save some limited accommodation space, but all interested parties are more than welcome.

Congressman Jared Polis to Speak at SSDP Conference

Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) will be giving a keynote speech on the evening of March 17, as part of the Students for Sensible Drug Policy Training Conference & Lobby Day. Representative Polis is an ally of SSDP and an advocate for sensible drug policies. We are delighted to have him speak at our event.

Other speakers at the conference include:

• Ethan Nadelmann, Drug Policy Alliance
• Jane Hamsher, Firedoglake and Just Say Now
• Brian Wallace, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)
• Aaron Houston, Students for Sensible Drug Policy
• Jill Harris, Drug Policy Alliance
• Jasmine Tyler, Drug Policy Alliance

This is very much a conference for students by students! Many sessions and workshops will be led by some of SSDP's most experienced student activists and alumni. 

If you haven't reserved your space at this amazing event yet, register today at http://www.conference.ssdp.org

In the video above, Rep. Polis speaks out against legislation that would further escalate the failed war on marijuana and explicitly calls for regulating and taxing marijuana from the well of the House floor. 

Anti-Drug War Graffiti in Mexico City

"Calderonismo" -- In reference to Mexico's President Felipe Calderon Hinojosa

These stencilled graffiti appeared on a corner I pass to go to work, Cuauhtemoc and Morelos in the Delegacion Coyoacan. It's a well-traveled corner, in between a vibrant market and a main thoroughfare. A school sits a couple of blocks away. Coyoacan is one of the oldest, most established, and wealthy places in Mexico City. It's a favorite place for a Sunday afternoon stroll. The ice creams are delicious.

The stencil on the left, with a person pointing a gun at somebody's head, with the word, Calderonismo, underneath it, suggests that the President has not offered the country anything but violence. Whether that's true or not is obviously up for debate. But Mexico is certainly beset with little but a concern for violence, much of it from the drug war, and for which some people obviously blame President Calderon.

"Ni uno mas -- Crucifix -- Ni uno mas." (Not one more.)

Since 2006, when President Felipe Calderon entered office in Mexico, 35,000 people have died. And an unkown number have disappeared without trace. The cross is a symbol to commemorate the dead, and the words "Not one more" coupled with the reference to Calderon in the previous graffiti implicitly reject the chilling statisic of 35,000 dead.

SSDP at the International Students for Liberty Conference 2011

I was invited to speak at this weekend's 2011 International Students for Liberty Conference in Washington D.C. This was my first experience as a speaker at a conference over 500. I found out fairly early on that nearly every state in the U.S. had registered, and that 25 countries were also registered. I met people from Romania, Australia, UK, Nigeria, and others that I am not currently remembering. The level of intellect of those in attendance was nothing short of stunning.

Students for Liberty is not at all what I thought it was; I figured it would be a bunch of Libertarians spouting off about how terrible government and bureaucracy is, and while there were some people that held these beliefs, this conference struck me as very similar to that of an SSDP conference. The political beliefs ranged from unsure independent to ultra libertarian, and everything in between. While many people debated politics for long periods of time, there tended to be one thing in common with everyone: everyone felt as though our liberties were being infringed upon.

Students for Liberty is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, which is what makes it so different from other Libertarian groups. They don't support any specific policies, nor do they support Libertarian groups that are not non-profit. From my perspective, this is what makes SFL so important.

Alexander McCobin and Sloane Frost, two co-founders of Students for Liberty, did nothing but impress me with their level of commitment to the organization they founded. Both were top notch speakers that seem to have mastered the process of organizing and delegating, and in three years successfully turned their organization into the largest student-run, liberty-promoting group in existence.

The Stossel Show was filmed at the conference, where John Stossel made it clear that he had never seen a group of politically minded students similar to SFL in his years in the media. The energy in the crowd was nothing short of electric as students from around the world lined up to ask questions during the taping. Gary Johnson spoke about his perspective of politics which blew everyone away (apparently he vetoed more bills than anyone else in the country when he was in office). While he probably will not be President of the United States anytime soon, he is still running in 2012, which continues to garner more and more media attention.

In a nutshell, and in my opinion, Students for Liberty is the future of politics. There is not another group of such incredibly intelligent students in existence, and there is absolutely no way to stigmatize the organization. SSDP and SFL will continue to foster a collaborative relationship so that we can work together to help end the failed War on Drugs and advance the ideals of Liberty across the world.

Thanks to all those that took the time to get to know me; it was an honor for me to have the opportunity to share my story. I sincerely hope that it encourages more chapters of SSDP to start up, and more people to get involved in their local chapters. Only time can tell what will happen, but if anyone from Students for Liberty has any questions about SSDP or wants to get one started, I'd be happy to help where I can. My co-presenter, Stacia Cosner, is the Associate Director of SSDP and it is her job to help students start chapters. Her e-mail address is stacia@ssdp.org. Check out the slides from our presentation on "Drug Policy Activism" here.

Volunteer for an SSDP AMPLIFY show!

Hey everybody,

A new year is upon us and hopefully all your chapters are starting to rock. With the new year comes lots of awesome opportunities to help spread the word about SSDP, and one of those ways is the AMPLIFY Project!

In case you’re unfamiliar, AMPLIFY is a project between SSDP and a select group of nationally touring bands. When those bands come through your town, SSDP chapters have the chance to help promote the show on your campus and in your city. And in exchange for promoting the show, the bands will place two lucky chapter members on the guest list of that show and usually provide a table for you to promote SSDP! What could be better than ending the drug war while groovin’ to some awesome tunes?

I know, all this just has you salivating with excitement, and you want to know how you can help.

Head over to ssdp.org/amplify and volunteer for a show. Slightly Stoopid, Lotus, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad and a few more bands have shows across the nation over the next few months, and are kind enough to let us help out. They care about our movement and are helping fight bad drug policy with us!

If you have any questions, just shoot me an email at amplify@ssdp.org. I’m more than happy to help you guys start rocking this, so let’s do it!

Win Tickets to Slightly Stoopid's Winter Tour!

Slightly Stoopid is one of the many artists on SSDP's AMPLIFY Project that is bringing SSDP tables to most of their shows on their Spring tour. To help spread the word about the work that SSDP does, the band is offering the chance for anyone who signs up on SSDP's action alert list to win 2 free tickets to these upcoming shows:

DATE	VENUE	CITY	TICKETS	RSVP
FEB. 04, 2011	TPC BIRD'S NEST	SCOTTSDALE, AZ	TICKETS
FEB. 16, 2011	9:30 CLUB	WASHINGTON, DC	TICKETS
FEB. 17, 2011	9:30 CLUB	WASHINGTON, DC	TICKETS
FEB. 18, 2011	LUPO'S ON THE STRAND	PROVIDENCE, RI	TICKETS
FEB. 19, 2011	HAMMERSTEIN BALLROOM	NEW YORK, NY	TICKETS
FEB. 20, 2011	HOUSE OF BLUES	ATLANTIC CITY, NJ	TICKETS
FEB. 24, 2011	ORBIT ROOM	GRAND RAPIDS, MI	TICKETS
FEB. 25, 2011	MADISON THEATER	COVINGTON, KY	TICKETS
FEB. 26, 2011	CANNERY BALLROOM	NASHVILLE, TN	TICKETS
FEB. 27, 2011	AMOS' SOUTHEND	CHARLOTTE, NC	TICKETS
MAR. 01, 2011	THE NORVA	NORFOLK, VA	TICKETS
MAR. 02, 2011	THE MUSIC FARM	CHARLESTON, SC	TICKETS
MAR. 03, 2011	JANNUS LIVE	ST. PETERSBURG, FL	TICKETS
MAR. 04, 2011	JANNUS LIVE	ST. PETERSBURG, FL	TICKETS
MAR. 05, 2011	PLUSH	JACKSONVILLE, FL	TICKETS
MAR. 12, 2011	9 MILE MUSIC FESTIVAL	MIAMI, FL	TICKETS
MAY 29, 2011	HOOKAVILLE	THORNVILLE, OH	TICKETS

*Festival tickets are not included in the contest. 

SSDP to Co-Sponsor Series on California's Criminal Justice System at Golden Gate University

A Critical Eye on Criminal Justice The students of Golden Gate Law School’s American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) are proud to host a series of panels designed to educate, inform, and reflect on California's criminal justice system. We encourage your attendance to provide insight and speak with others concerning California's criminal justice system. Please see below for more information about each panel: Week 1: Psychology & Law Tuesday, January 18 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM Guest Panelists: Craig Haney, Professor of Psychology at University of Santa Cruz and expert in effects of incarceration Sara Norman, Managing attorney of the Prison Law Office Moderated by Professor Susan Rutberg Week 2: Foundations of the Criminal Justice System Wednesday, January 26 12:00 – 1:00 PM Guest Panelists: James Bell, Founder and Executive Director of the W. Haywood Burns Institute Diana Tate Vermeire, Racial Justice Project Director at the ACLU of Northern California Dorsey Nunn, Executive Director of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children and co–founder of All of Us or None Week 3: Life in a California Prison Tuesday, February 1 5:00 – 6:30 PM Guest Panelists: Donald Specter, Director of the Prison Law Office Jeanne Woodford, Former warden, San Quentin State Prison Paul Wright, Editor and co-founder of Prison Legal News Moderated by Professor Mort Cohen Week 4: Examining Alternative Movements in Prison Reform Thursday, February 10 12:00 – 1:00 PM Guest Panelists: Judge Jeffery Tauber, Judge in Oakland Municipal Court George Galvis, Educator, consultant, trainer, and speaker in the areas of youth development & organizing, violence prevention, and restorative justice for youth Cynthia Chandler, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Justice Now We hope you will join us in this critical discussion of criminal justice in the midst of historical reform. Thank you for your support. For more information visit our Facebook page or contact: John Robinson at johnbrobinson2@gmail.com or Pouria Yazdi at pouriayazdi@gmail.com. All panels will be held at 536 Mission Street, 2nd Floor Room 2203, San Francisco.

Action Required: Sign A Petition to Retain Evidence-based Practices in Hungary's Drug Policy

The European Union continues to register deep divisions in drug policy. On the one hand there's Portugal, scion of the progressive movement, a country that offers treatment over incarceration for small amounts of possession. And on the other hand there's Hungary, where years of progressive organizing around drug issues may have just evaporated, returning instead to the bete noire of prohibition.

Hungary's anti-prohibitionist drug reformers and harm reductionists need the help of SSDP's members. Why? and How?

The how's the easy part, at least if you have a computer. Just sign this petition composed by non-governmental organizations to the Hungarian government urging them to retain evidence-based drug policy.

The petition is urgent. Just as the Hungarian Government took over the presidency of the European Union in 2011, it decided to engage in some major revisions to a drug policy program convened and produced by its predecessor, which it removed from office in elections held in April 2010. Many of these changes by the new government actually conflict with stated policies of the European Union they are meant to be heading. According to Drug Reporter, the news service of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, the current Hungarian Government has turned its back on harm reduction and human rights, perhaps to save money in a tight fiscal year. The government abolished the National Drug Prevention Institute, fired the national drug coordinator, and stripped the drugs budget. It's plaint? That the policy was too focused on "drug liberalization and harm reduction." Or, in no uncertain terms, evidence-based practices needed to go.

The actions against scientific policy have struck a blow against Hungary's drug reformers in non-governmental organizations. The previous government had opened up a broad consultative process for empirical drug policy and practices. It included all the major national and international actors whose opinion was sought on how best to prevent or treat addiction. The consultation process produced an eight year policy document for 2010 - 2018. And even though at one point the current government signaled its intention to keep the policy moving forward, by December 2010 it produced the current crisis by axing the stated policy. In the text of the petition, the NGO's denounce the changes on the basis of the harm they will cause:

We emphasize that the lack of an effectively operating drug strategy with adequate financial resources and professional support undermines prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and harm reduction services – as a consequence harms can be measured not only in money but in human lives

.

Now, you can take action by signing the petition to keep science in Hungary's drug policy, here.

NIU SSDP Earns Recognition on Campus, Free Speech Violations Still Present

After SSDP's chapter at Northern Illinois University was denied recognition as an official group on campus and told that they could not apply for funding, hold meetings on campus or even post flyers promoting events or causes, they took action to protect student free speech. It wasn't an easy battle, but SSDP prevailed and have been given full recognition by NIU. 

Northern Illinois University (NIU) has finally given full recognition to NIU Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) after the Student Association Senate twice denied the group any recognition, which had prevented SSDP from meeting or posting flyers on campus. But Senate policy still denies funding to all "political" and "religious" student organizations. This arbitrary standard classifies Christian, Muslim, and Jewish organizations as "religious" and therefore ineligible for funding, while the campus Baha'i Club is funded as a "cultural" group. Similarly, groups such as Model United Nations are considered "political" while many "social justice" or "advocacy" groups—including student pro-life, pro-choice, antiwar, women's rights, vegetarian, and victims' rights groups—are fully recognized. SSDP came to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) for help.

"FIRE commends Northern Illinois University for finally agreeing to recognize Students for Sensible Drug Policy, but NIU's recognition and funding policies still violate students' First Amendment rights," FIRE President Greg Lukianoff said. "NIU's rules brazenly flout Supreme Court precedent by discriminating against all ‘political' and ‘religious' groups. NIU needs to reform its policies to ones that do not invite such extensive double standards, confusion, and abuse."

SSDP would like to thank the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) and our board member Eric Sterling for the essential assistance and guidance they provided to the NIU SSDP chapter.

We also recognize that the situation at NIU is not over. SSDP was instrumental in drawing attention to the unconstitutional policies being unfairly imposed on student groups by the NIU Student Senate and we hope to see those policies changed immediately so that no student group will be discriminated against  based on the nature of what they discuss or promote.  

Northern Illinois University Student Group Denied Recognition for Views on Drug Policy (Press Release)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 7, 2010
CONTACT: Jonathan Perri, SSDP Associate Director – (401) 265-9445 or jon@ssdp.org

Erik Haslinger, NIU SSDP Publicity Chair – (815) 575-9420

Northern Illinois University Student Group Denied 
Recognition for Views on Drug Policy

Students for Sensible Drug Policy claim the NIU Student Association Senate violated their First Amendment Rights.   

DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy have been denied recognition as an official student organization for the second time after the group refused to classify itself as a political group and asked to be considered a social justice advocacy group. The decision means the group cannot meet on campus, post flyers or apply for funding. However, groups involved in similar advocacy work but on different issues, including anti-abortion groups, are eligible to receive funding.

“It’s clear that the NIU Student Association Senate is incapable of fairly imposing it’s policies on student groups and after speaking with lawyers and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), we believe that the NIU Student Association Senate is in violation of the First Amendment,” explained Jonathan Perri, Associate Director at SSDP. “Unfortunately, it also seems that some members of the Senate are simply opposed to SSDP’s mission to promote an open and rational discussion about alternatives to current drug policies, including marijuana legalization, and that this may be the basis for their decision.”

FIRE and SSDP believe that the Senate has specifically violated all five of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.

Perri explained that it is uncommon for SSDP to have such difficulty with becoming an official group. “We have chapters on almost 150 campuses around the country and have been active for 12 years. This is the first time I’ve seen such blatant unfairness from a student government and we ask that NIU President John G. Peters immediately intervene and protect NIU student rights.”

SSDP hopes to work with NIU administrators to ensure that student speech and rights are protected for all groups on campus. A petition hosted at Change.org has been created, asking NIU President Peters to take action.

Students for Sensible Drug Policy is an international grassroots network of students who are concerned about the impact drug abuse has on our communities, but who also know that the War on Drugs is failing our generation and our society. SSDP mobilizes and empowers young people to participate in the political process, pushing for sensible policies to achieve a safer and more just future, while fighting back against counterproductive Drug War policies, particularly those that directly harm students and youth.
#       #       #   

SSDP Mountain Plains Conference in Colorado Saturday!

REGISTER HERE

On Saturday, November 6, SSDP will be hosting our first Mountain Plains Regional Conference. Chapters from all over Colorado, Utah and South Dakota will be convening at the University of Colorado Boulder for a weekend of drug policy education and strategy. 

We have an amazing group of speakers joining us and the discussions will be informative and exciting. 

Speakers Include:
• Rick Doblin, Ph.D. - Executive Director of MAPS
• Aaron Houston - Executive Director of SSDP
• Mason Tvert - Executive Director of SAFER
• Steve Fox - Marijuana Policy Project
• Brian Vincente - Executive Director of Sensible Colorado

• Emmett Reistroffer - Campaign Director SD Measure 13

 

Space is limited so register today! It's only $10 for students and $20 for non-students. All CU-Boulder student can attend free of charge.

 
RSVP on Facebook.

Don't Trust Dragonflies

When it comes to California's Prop. 19, I've found there are roughly 3 types of people opposed to the initiative.

• Some politicians or law enforcement types who think it is in their best interest to oppose cannabis reform. 
• People who have not read the initiative and have been relying only on hearsay and urban legends (or who misunderstand the language in the initiative). 
• Those with investments in the medical marijuana industry who are more concerned about losing money if the price of cannabis goes down or if CA residents no longer have to pay MediCann $200 to get a doctor's note saying it's ok for them to use medical marijuana.

Below are parts of a post from Opposing Views that includes a debate going on between Chris Conrad, NORML and Dragonfly de la Luz. Dragonfly is the author of a blog called "Stoners Against Prop 19" in which she states mountains of misinformation and lies that were quickly and easily refuted by Chris Conrad and Russ Belville at NORML.

Dragonfly: Nowhere in my article do I claim that marijuana is more legal when it’s decriminalized. I said it is more legal now because it IS legal now. Marijuana has been legal in California since 1996.

NORML: Really, I’ll have to mention that to the 78,514 Californians arrested in 2008 for marijuana offenses.  In fact, marijuana IS NOT legal in California and since 1996 a handful of Californians have only been exempted from criminal prosecution under Prop 215 (except, of course, Eugene Davidovich, Donna Lambert, James Stacy, Jovan Jackson, Felix Kha, and a whole bunch of other people who thought they were legal under Prop 215 yet still ended up in a courtroom and behind bars for a time).
Specifically in Prop 215:

…patients and their primary caregivers who obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes upon the recommendation of a physician are not subject to criminal prosecution or sanction.

Which means that criminal prosecutions and sanctions for marijuana still exist.  Shorter: it ain’t legal.

You really have to read the whole thing to believe this nonsense. She even goes so far as to speak on behalf of Jack Herer, a man who died months ago. We're assuming she hasn't seen the statement that the Herer family released calling on people like Dragonfly to stop using Jack Herer's name to spread lies about Prop 19.

Unfortunately, Jack passed away before Prop 19 made the 2010 ballot; so many people think he would still oppose it. We don’t believe that, and we ask that everyone stop saying he would cling to that position as we move toward the Nov. 2 vote.

As his family, we want the world to know that the last thing Jack Herer would want is for Californians to vote to keep Cannabis illegal. He was smart and had the political savvy to know that once a measure is on the ballot, the time for bickering has passed. That is why he campaigned for Prop 215 despite its shortcomings. That is why, were he able, he would now be telling voters to rally around and Vote Yes on Prop 19.

Dragonfly calls herself a marijuana activist because she "travel(s) the world, find(s) the best ganja, smoke(s) it, and write(s) about it for pot magazines."

I'm sorry Dragonfly, that's not called activism, that's called partying. And while you're busy partying, nearly 900,000 people are being arrested for marijuana charges every year in this country and about 10% of those arrests are coming from California.

Step aside and let the real activists do our work.

New Student Organizing Manual!

SSDP's outreach staff has revamped our student organizing manual to provide you with an in-depth guide to everything you need to know about running an SSDP chapter. This new manual features guides on lobbying, working with the media, running productive meetings, organizing successful events and much more.

Sections on recruiting and retaining members have been expanded on and we've added an appendix full of sample materials like a press release, flyer, budget and even a chapter curriculum to give new chapters an idea of what a semester with SSDP looks like.

Flip through the pages below and get fired up just in time for back to school!  

Open publication - Free publishing - More students

Truth & Rights in South Dakota

When we break the law, the government has the power to strip us of certain rights. In most cases, judges revoke rights by limiting our physical freedom - jail time or probation - but on occasion, judges can take away our first amendment rights, or freedom of speech. This is what happened to South Dakota NORML activist Bob Newland, who was not allowed to engage in "any public advocacy for Cannabis law reform," says Paul Armamento on the NORML blog, while on probation for marijuana possession. 

Now, after about a year of silence, Newland is once again a free man, and he's already on the job . The enduring activist published an op/ed piece in the Rapid City Journal a few days ago that discusses his legal plight in relation to the drug war, and it pulls no punches.

As for every politician who endorses prohibition, every judge who sentences someone for possession, every cop who arrests someone for possession; they all are awash in the blood of the 23,000 Mexicans who have been killed in the civil war over drug turf in Mexico during the past three years, and in the less visible detritus of the lives they have shattered senselessly.

Amid this carnage, there can not be found a shred of benefit, unless you count (I don't) employment for prison guards, cops, state's attorneys, judges, probation officers, and urine testers. We'd be better off if most of these people were forced into productive jobs.

Bring Medical Marijuana to South Dakota

When we stand for personal rights, sometimes it means breaking the law, and we have to be prepared to endure the consequences if we are convicted for doing so. But we cannot let such hardship hinder our cause. Like Newland, we must manipulate these experiences to fuel our cause.

SSDP's chapters in South Dakota are hard at work to help pass Measure 13 in South Dakota this November.

President Obama Signs Fair Sentencing Act

Today, President Obama signed into law the Fair Sentencing Act, reducing the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine from a 100:1 to 18:1 ratio. 

This is a historic day in drug policy and marks a significant reform to what was arguably the worst drug law ever enacted. 

SSDP's Aaron Houston was on Russia Today to discuss the sentencing disparity and what the new law means. Attempting to counter Aaron's arguments is TJ McCormack, a conservative radio show host. McCormack doesn't seem to know too much about the sentencing disparity and says some pretty outrageous things like President Obama is "pandering to African Americans" by signing this bill into law.  

I'll sue you for talking about my organization's documented connections to child abuse...

That's basically how Calvina Fay threatened SSDP's Aaron Houston during a debate regarding D.C.'s recently approved medical marijuana legislation on Russia Today. Watch the whole debate above.  

For those of you unfamiliar with this drug warrior, Calvina Fay is the founder and executive director of the Drug Free America Foundation. 

Aaron really pushes Fay's buttons when he brings up Straight, Inc (incorrectly identified as "Scared Straight" during the debate), a non-profit drug rehab center that tortured children and teenagers for months and years at a time. Even former executive staff members have apologized for Straight's actions and admitted to many forms of abuse including brainwashing, sexual abuse, food and sleep deprivation, coerced confessions and denial of medical care. 

Straight, Inc. received hundreds of reports of abuse during it's existence and some facilities were shut down but Straight never really went away because it's founder also "founded" another organization, Drug Free America Foundation. Really, all they did was change the name and even though Ms. Fay just threatened to sue SSDP and stated firmly that her organization has no ties with Straight, Inc., the DFAF website says different right in the bio of the organization's founder, Betty Sembler:

Betty S. Sembler has dedicated the past three decades to fighting the war on drugs. In 1976, she was one of ten founding members of Straight, Inc., a nonprofit drug treatment program that successfully treated more than 12,000 young people with drug addiction in eight cities nationally from Dallas to Boston.

Not only does the DFAF's website admit to being involved with Straight, Inc., they are touting the connection and the program as a positive credential. Unbelievable.  

I could get into all the horror stories and court cases and research that has been done on Straight and DFAF, their connections to the Bush family and Florida politics (Jeb Bush even created a Betty Sembler Day in FL) but I'm not up for reading more about such vile people before going to bed.

Having worked in a residential treatment facility with teens (thankfully nothing like Straight, Inc.), I realize how incredibly dangerous people like Calvina Fay are to young people all around the world.

When it comes to the issue of drugs and youth, prohibitionists like her can come off as a voice of reason to concerned parents - mostly because they represent a group with a nice sounding name pretending they can achieve the completely impossible goal of a drug free America.  She has even served as an advisor to the Office of National Drug Control Policy despite having no background in public health or drug policy; she has a masters in business administration.