Students for

Sensible drug

Policy

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.

Where is SSDP?

• On nearly 200 College Campuses In:

• United States

• Canada

• United Kingdom

• Australia

• Recent Expansion to Latin America

• Nigeria

What Does an

SSDP Chapter Do?• Promote discussion in the community about drug

policy reform by:

• Hosting debates and discussion forums

• Bringing speakers from other organizations

• Screening documentaries on campus

• Changing Policies

• Lobby your representatives on issues and legislation

that your chapter cares about

• Change policies on your campus

SSDP Campaigns• Repeal the HEA Aid Elimination Penalty

• Enact Good Samaritan Policies on College Campuses

• Campus Change Campaign

• Student Drug Testing

• Influencing the Obama Administration

• Influencing Global Drug Policy

• Drug Education

• Lowering the Drinking Age

Campus Change

Campaign• Dorm Eviction Policies

• Dorm Privacy

• Good Samaritan/Medical Amnesty Policies

• Judicial Processes on Campus

• Law Enforcement Involvement in Policing Campus Drug Policy

• Marijuana/Alcohol Penalty Equalization (SAFER Initiatives)

• Off-Campus Jurisdiction For Drug Policies

• Parental Notification Policies

• Designated Drive/Safe Ride Programs

• Suspension and Expulsion Policies

• Harm Reduction Education

• Treatment and Prevention Accessibility and Funding

What is The War on Drugs?

• In 1969 Richard Nixon first used the term “War on

Drugs.”

• It is a prohibition campaign undertaken by the US

government with the assistance of participating

countries, intended to reduce the illegal drug trade – to

curb supply and diminish demand for specific

psychoactive substances deemed

immoral, harmful, dangerous, or undesirable.

What is Wrong With the

War on Drugs?

• In federal prisons, 55% of inmates are incarcerated on drug offenses.

• The U.S. has 5% of the world’s population but houses 25% of the world’s prisoners.

• More than $50 Billion is spent every year on the failed “War on Drugs.”

Marijuana and the

Economy• Replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of legal

regulation would save approximately $7.7 billion in government expenditures on prohibition enforcement.

• Last year, $60 million was spent last year on the ONDCP Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign (the marijuana commercials with talking dogs and aliens)

• Revenue from taxation of marijuana sales would range from $2.4 billion per year if marijuana were taxed like ordinary consumer goods to $6.2 billion if it were taxed like alcohol or tobacco.

a War on Students

• Under the HEA Aid Elimination Penalty, students convicted of a drug crime, even first time possession of marijuana, are denied federal financial aid for school.

• The Office of National Drug Control Policy has pushed for invasive random student drug testing to take place in public high schools - despite no evidence to support drug testing as a deterrent to drug use.

• One person is arrested for marijuana every 36 seconds.

Racism and the Drug

War

• African Americans comprise nearly 13% of the

population, and about 13% of drug users.

• In contrast they make up37%of those

arrested, 53%of those convicted, and67%of

those sent to jail for drug offenses.

U.S. Incarceration

Rates for White Men

•773 per 100,000

U.S. Incarceration

Rates for Hispanic Men

•1,747 per 100,000

U.S. Incarceration Rates

for African American Men

•4,618 per 100,000

The drug war Isn’t working

• According to the United Nations, profits in illegal drugs are so inflated that three-quarters of all drug shipments would have to be intercepted to seriously reduce the profitability of the business. Current efforts only intercept 13%of heroin shipments and 28%-40% of cocaine shipments.

The drug war Isn’t working

• Drugs Are Purer and Cheaper Than Ever Before:

• "In summary, prices for powder cocaine, crack, and heroin

declined sharply in the 1980s and have declined more

gradually since then, with periodic interruptions by modest

price spikes that have usually persisted for a year or less.”

• The average purity of heroin on the US market increased

in that time as well, going at the retail level from an

average of 11% in 1981 to an average 32% in 2003, and

at the wholesale

level from an average 12% in 1981 to

an average 46% in 2003.

We Can Change This! • By joining SSDP you’ll learn how to create change right

before your eyes.

• Learn skills like public speaking, community

organizing, working with the media, and running

campaigns.

• Learn how lobby your representatives.

• SSDP chapters have been successful in changing

campus, local, and state policies. Your chapter could

be next!

SSDP accomplishments • Lobbied successfully to remove the “reach back” effect of the

HEA Aid Elimination Penalty.

• Helped pass Medical Marijuana laws in states like Rhode Island and Michigan.

• Enacted Good Samaritan Policies on 15 college campuses.

• Helped decriminalize marijuana in Massachusetts and Columbia, MO.

• Won a FOIA suit against the Department of Education.

• Filed an amicus brief in the famous“Bong Hits for Jesus” case resulting in protection of free speech for students who discuss drug policy reform in school.

SSDP conferences • SSDP hosts regional and international conferences each year featuring:

• Drug Policy Education

• You’ll learn about many different areas of drug policy including marijuana laws, harm reduction, international policies, interdiction and more, all from most trusted experts in their fields.

• Activism Workshops

• Attend interactive workshops teaching you essential activism skills like working with the media, organizing an event, running a successful campaign and fundraising - just to name a few.

• Scholarships

• SSDP even offers travel and lodging scholarships to make sure that you’re able to attend!

2008 SSDP ConferenceNovember 21-23, 2008

Washington, D.C.

SSDP Conference 2011,

you’re invited!• Mark your calendars.

• Apply for student group funding

• Make travel arrangements.

• Make a scholarship video!

• ssdp.org/training/rsvp

• March 17-19, University of Maryland, College Park &

Lobby Day in Washington, DC

helpful links• www.SchoolsNotPrisons.com - SSDP

• www.drugwarfacts.org - Just the facts

• www.drugpolicy.org - The Drug Policy Alliance

• www.mpp.org - The Marijuana Policy Project

• www.askleap.org - Cops Say Legalize Drugs

• www.maps.org - Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies

• www.ONDCP.gov - Office of National Drug Control Policy

• www.norml.org - NORML

• www.famm.org - Families Against Mandatory Minimums