Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP)

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Our Mission:

SSDP aims to reduce the harm from both drugs and policies on drugs. It focuses specifically on scaling back and ultimately reversing the drug war, which has been disproportionately waged in communities of color against the poor and mentally ill, in favor of a more compassionate, evidence-based approach to treating addiction that does not carry the same collateral costs as prohibition: a violent illicit market, contaminated substances, inefficient allocation of law enforcement resources, and so on. We envision a just future in which sick people need not face decades of incarceration to access treatment and in which no human beings are saddled with permanent criminal records for what they choose to put in their bodies.

SSDP 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 drug war 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.

Our Activities:

Narcan Certification Course with YEMS: helping students understand how to use Narcan when needed.

Student Leaders:

  • Amanda Ivatorov – Coordinator/President

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