Jump to content

Students for Sensible Drug Policy

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Imamathwiz (talk | contribs) at 04:47, 7 November 2011 (changed to the correct website). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Founded1998
FocusDrug Policy Reform in the United States and other countries
Location
  • Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, CA
Area served
United States, United Kingdom, Canada, South America
Key people
Aaron Houston, Jon Perri, Anastacia Cosner
WebsiteSSDP.org

Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) is an international non-profit advocacy and education organization based in Washington D.C., with offices in both Washington D.C. and San Francisco, CA. SSDP is focused on reforming the drug policies of the United States and other countries, while also empowering young people to get involved in the political process through this effort.

SSDP was first founded in 1998 by a small group of U.S. students at Rochester Institute of Technology and George Washington University in response to that year's reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which contained a provision denying student loans and grants to students with drug convictions.[1]

Aaron Houston has served as executive director since June 1, 2010. Stacia Cosner serves as associate director. Jason Ortiz, Drew Stromberg, Devon Tackels serve as Regional Outreach Coordinators. The Board of Directors is currently chaired by Irina Alexander, a graduate of the University of Maryland and someone who has been called "the guiding force of drug policy for people under 55 today".[citation needed]

SSDP functions through autonomous chapter networks in universities, colleges, and high schools around the world promoting student and teacher activism for sensible change in attitudes toward drug use and drug abuse, and drug policies. As of December 2010, there are more than 150 chapters in the United States, Colombia, Poland, Mexico, Australia, Nigeria, Canada and the U.K.[2] SSDP has staff in Washington DC, San Francisco, Ottawa, and London.

Mission, Values and Structure as a Grassroots Organization

Mission Statement: "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."

Values Statement: "Students for Sensible Drug Policy neither encourages nor condemns drug use. Rather, we seek to reduce the harms caused by drug abuse and drug policies. As young people, we strive toward a just and compassionate society where drug abuse is treated as a health issue instead of a criminal justice issue. We recognize that the very real harms of drug abuse are not adequately addressed by current policies and we advocate measures that would effectively help those who develop drug problems. Yet, we also believe that individuals must ultimately be allowed to make decisions for themselves as long as their actions do not infringe upon anyone else’s freedoms or safety.

Because the War on Drugs has historically been justified as necessary to protect youth, it is our responsibility as young people to stop this harmful war from being waged in our names any longer. As scholars, we seek solutions to society's drug problems through focused research, honest dialogue, and informed debate, instead of unquestioned extremism, punishment, and propaganda."

Structure as a Grassroots Organization: SSDP comprises student chapters all across the country. Any student anywhere can start a chapter. While SSDP has a variety of national campaigns and actions that everyone can participate in, chapters are also encouraged to work on those issues that have the most traction in their own communities. Annually SSDPers convene for a national conference.[3] There, students acquire essential activist knowledge and skills. Also, chapters elect students to serve on SSDP's Board of Directors. The Board in turn selects SSDP's executive director, who is responsible for tending to both the day-to-day operations of the organization, as well as its long-term direction. An important duty of the executive director is to hire staff. Currently, besides an executive director, SSDP has two outreach directors, an international liaison, and a webmaster. Ultimately, the SSDP staff exists to serve SSDP's chapters and activists.

Legally, SSDP consists of two separate, distinct entities — Students for Sensible Drug Policy Foundation and Students for Sensible Drug Policy Inc. The former, as a 501(c)3 organization, engages in education and outreach. Donations to SSDP Foundation are tax-deductible. SSDP Inc, as a 501(c)4 organization, engages in advocacy, or attempts to effect change to law and policy. Accordingly, donations to SSDP Inc are not tax-deductible.[4]

Campaigns

SSDP was founded around the issue of the drug provision in the 1998 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965 which denies federal financial aid to students with drug convictions. The HEA has been criticized for disproportionately affecting minorities and working-class students. Since then, the organization has expanded its scope to include other elements of drug policy like drug testing and student privacy rights, promoting rehabilitation over incarceration, harm reduction, opposing the ineffective anti-drug media campaign, and addressing the lack of objective drug education and scientific research. SSDP's chapters also work on the campus level to oppose prohibitionist drug policies and replace them with sensible alternatives, as part of the Campus Change Campaign.

In addition to working on issues that primarily affect students, many of SSDP's chapters work on local and state-level campaigns such as marijuana deprioritization,[5] reinstating voting rights to felons,[6] and medical marijuana. Chapters are also known to hold day-long festivals to promote their cause on campus, with varying results.[7][8]

Students for Sensible Drug Policy also wrote an amicus curiae brief for the Supreme Court case Morse v. Frederick.[9]

SSDP v. Rep. Mark Souder

Representative Mark Souder of Indiana is famous among the SSDP circles as the author of the Aid Elimination Penalty in the Higher Education Act Amendments of 1998. Souder is seen, to members of SSDP, as one of the foremost proposers of insensible drug policies. Souder has declined to engage in a debate with SSDP members regarding the Aid Elimination Penalty, and instead relies on ad hominem attacks calling the organization "nonsensical"[10] and "legalizers".[11][12] The "legalizers" comment came in a Dear Colleague letter written by Souder supporting the Higher Education Act Aid Elimination Penalty. SSDP has since responded with a letter signed by over fifteen other organizations who also oppose the Aid Elimination Penalty including; the United Methodist Church, the National Education Association, and the American Federation of Teachers.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Section 483 - 1998 Amendments to Higher Education Act of 1965". Ed.gov. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  2. ^ "Students for Sensible Drug Policy Chapters". Ssdp.org. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  3. ^ "Reflecting on an Amazing Conference". Drugpolicy.org. 2007-12-18. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  4. ^ "About Students for Sensible Drug Policy". Ssdp.org. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  5. ^ "YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  6. ^ "The Brown Daily Herald - SSDP aids campaign to win voting rights for ex-felons". Media.www.browndailyherald.com. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  7. ^ "Hempfest rocks the Zox off URI - News". Media.www.ramcigar.com. 2010-04-30. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  8. ^ [1][dead link]
  9. ^ "Microsoft Word - 18971br05.doc" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  10. ^ “” (2007-12-17). "Mark Souder expresses his love for NORML and SSDP". YouTube. Retrieved 2010-08-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "Drugs and money - The Crypt's Blog". Politico.com. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  12. ^ "Full of It: Rep. Mark Souder Souder Gets Called on His Characterization of HEA Reform Supporters". StoptheDrugWar.org. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  13. ^ http://www.politico.com/static/PPM41_souderletter.html

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Students_for_Sensible_Drug_Policy&oldid=459407681"