"As a neuroscientist, I’m trained to follow the evidence even when it’s inconvenient. As a community advocate in the Tampa Bay region, I’m trained to listen to people whose lives are affected by policy decisions. Florida’s approach to 7-OH, misses the mark."

Want to see more news, updates, and opportunities from SSDP? We're looking for volunteers to help us get our comms back on track! Email [email protected] to learn more.

In 2024, SSDP took on the DEA in their own court over the proposed scheduling of two psychedelic research compounds. Joe Hennessy, a MD/PhD student, describes how drug scheduling is a threat to scientific advancement. Join us today at ssdp.org

“The June 29th hearing should not be mistaken for a legitimate hearing. The DEA, the agency that has brutally enforced federal cannabis prohibition for decades, is now assuming the role of 'proponent' of the new rules...Not a single pro-cannabis voice is being allowed to speak."

Did you know that 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) has extremely potent anti-inflammatory properties? Go to SSDP.org to learn more about how SSDP is protecting psychedelic science!

The War on Nicotine is a War on Us! 😤

How can you show up and make a change to end the War on Drugs? Gina Giorgio, SSDP's Director of Strategy and Development, emphasizes how young scientists showed up to block the scheduling of two psychedelic research compounds in the DEA's own courtroom. Join us at ssdp.org.

It takes just 30 seconds to help decriminalize cannabis! Send a letter to Congress now!

People who use drugs deserve more than survival conditioned on unstable political support. Every pause in care carries risk and every barrier added to treatment or harm reduction is a barrier that someone may not survive. LEARN MORE: ssdp.org/blog/samhsa-...

How does the War on Drugs impact the progress of scientific and medical research? Brooke Sanders, a Neuroscience PhD student, describes how prohibition has caused delays in her research of the endocannabinoid system since 2019. Join us today at ssdp.org

4 mg dose of naloxone is just as effective as the 8 mg dose — but an 8 mg dose increases the severity of withdrawal symptoms, putting individuals who are recovering from opioid overdose at higher risk of overdosing again.

Led by SSDP, forty-four organizations have all united around the message Decriminalize Now.

Marijuana never belonged in Schedule I but rescheduling is not legalization, and it will not stop arrests. Join the Cannabis Unity Coalition in front of Congress at 9:00 am ET this coming Wednesday, May 13th — or support cannabis justice from home! Yes, We Cannabis! ✊🏼

We need your help! Join the fight at home during the Cannabis Unity Coalition’s annual Cannabis Week of Unity this May 11-May 15, 2026. Here's how...

Access to accurate, compassionate education should never be a barrier to safety.

"SSDP is re-centering the voices of individuals who have been negatively impacted by cannabis criminalization — including those who lost decades of their life to incarceration — because, ultimately, cannabis still is not federally legal and our entire society continues to pay the price.”

"There are still 3,000 federal prisoners serving time for marijuana offenses, and I pledged to lead a letter to President Trump and his pardons czar, Alice Marie Johnson, seeking their release." - @cohenforcongress.bsky.social cohen.house.gov/media-center...

Take Back the Night is a national event that takes shape in different forms both on and off our campus. It is a night meant to provide survivors of sexual assault a safe space and allow people a place to feel safe and seen.

Congressman Cohen held a press conference on Monday (4/20) with individuals formerly incarcerated in Federal Prison for marijuana offenses alongside Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP). There are still 3,000 federal prisoners serving time for marijuana offenses.

Tobacco and nicotine are some of the most commonly used drugs, yet meaningful education about them can be surprisingly uncommon. Most conversations fall into extremes: total demonization on one end, or uncritical normalization on the other. We have developed a course to live in the honest middle.

"We believe it is crucial that 4/20 be not only a celebration of how far we have progressed on cannabis policy since SSDP started in 1998 but a reminder of how far we have left to go,” said SSDP Executive Director Kat Murti.

“Under current drug laws, I was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole,” said Cesal.

Let's go, SSDP!

On 4/20, SSDP brought survivors of extreme cannabis sentences to Washington D.C., highlighting the immediate need for full federal legalization, prisoner release, and restoration of rights. Join the Movement to Legalize Cannabis: secure.everyaction.com/1nH039KakEGA...

"I lost half my life to something that is now legal,” said Dejohn, who served more than 13 years before being granted clemency, and now advocates for reform of the laws that led to his own unduly harsh sentence.

Schedule I classifications create significant barriers for researchers, delaying or discouraging critical studies on substances that could have therapeutic benefits. ssdp.org/blog/rethink...

We’re proud to launch the Tobacco and Nicotine course, a completely free learning experience designed and developed for anyone who wants to understand nicotine and tobacco in a deeper context.... ssdp.org/blog/introdu...

Become an SSDP Ambassador today in only 5 steps! SSDP Ambassadors are powerful, trusted voices who amplify the reach of SSDP's mission. Anybody, even non-students, can become an SSDP Ambassador! Learn more at ssdp.org APPLY HERE: secure.everyaction.com/Hx6p4t1LbEWI...

H.R. 8000 is entitled the ‘End Needless Distribution of 7-OH Act,’ but if H.R. 8000 passes, demand for 7-OH will not disappear. Instead, it will be pushed into illicit markets, where products are more likely to be adulterated, mislabeled, or dangerously potent.

Join Students for Sensible Drug Policy for a timely and science-driven webinar exploring kratom, 7-OH, and other emerging products. Featuring addiction neuroscientist Dr. Michele Ross, this session will break down what we know about safety, drug interactions, and key warning signs. buff.ly/FzYoWFP

Harm reduction extends to experiences that may occur during or after one interacts with a substance. Check out this master list of resources for those in need of spiritual, emotional, or educational support, compiled by SSDP's Psychedelics Committee...

Looking to make change on campus or in your community? 💙 Start an SSDP Chapter and begin making a difference!💙 To inquire about starting a chapter, visit ssdp.org/chapters/ to apply!

Students for Sensible Drug Policy respectfully opposes H.R. 8000 "End the Needless Distribution of 7-OH" Act. Read the full statement: ssdp.org/blog/ssdp-op...

The opioid crisis is fundamentally a public health and addiction treatment challenge: one that requires expanded access to treatment, harm reduction services, and prevention strategies.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Rethinking Nicotine is a one-day conference that challenges the extension of the War on Drugs into nicotine policy. Students attend for free.Livestream access available worldwide. ssdp.org/blog/student...

Less than a week till Rethinking Nicotine! 🎉 Which speaker are you most excited to hear from? Tell us in the comments! Make sure you register to save your spot — students get in free! 🤑 GET YOUR TICKETS: secure.everyaction.com/0wMMjs_TpEya...

🚨 You Have 48 Hours to Vote in Congress 2026! Voting will be open from today, March 6h at 2:00 pm ET/11:00 am PT until March 8th at 2:00 pm ET/11:00 am PT. The future of SSDP is in your hands! VOTE: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

If you believe nicotine policy deserves evidence instead of moral panic, autonomy instead of stigma, and public health instead of prohibition — Rethinking Nicotine is for you. Register To Attend In Person or Virtually – Students Get In For Free!

At the heart of SSDP is a simple truth: we are a global network of peers working directly for the safety of our own communities. Learn about two Resolutions proposed by SSDP Ambassador Jorge Valderrabano for our 2026 Congress... ssdp.org/blog/by-us-f...

Use code SSDP10 to get 10% off your Zendo Course🎉 The Zendo Sitting & Integration Training (SIT) is a live, online psychedelic harm reduction course that teaches practical skills for supporting people through non-ordinary states of consciousness. Register now: zendoproject.org/sit/

Recently, in Sacramento, SSDP held a lobby day to stop the scheduling of 7-OH. Criminalizing 7-OH will expose thousands of people, especially children and minority communities, to arrest and incarceration without improving public health outcomes. Visit ssdp.org to learn more!

The future of SSDP is in your hands! Get to know the candidates running for the Board of Directors and cast your vote March 6-8th! As the largest national youth-led network dedicated to ending the War on Drugs, #SSDP thrives on the power of youth leadership.

If not for the efforts of SSDP’s Science Policy Committee, two important research chemicals, DOI and DOC, would have been classified as Schedule I by the DEA in 2022. But how common are these compounds outside of the lab? Read more at SSDP.org.

In the birthplace of liberty, adults should be free to make their own decisions about cannabis, as they can do in five of Pennsylvania’s six neighboring states. Read more about SSDP's efforts: ssdp.org/blog/ssdps-h...

SSDP’s PA Cannabis Day of Unity brought together a bipartisan coalition in support of legalizing cannabis for adult use in Pennsylvania. To learn more, visit our blog ssdp.org/blog/ssdps-h...

Even the administrative law judge who presided over the hearing to decide whether DOI and DOC would be put in Schedule I agreed that doing so would negatively impact researchers working with DOI. End the War on Research! Learn more about SSDP's pioneering work combating research harm at SSDP.org.

🧪 Attending the International Research Society on Psychedelics Conference (ISRP) in New Orleans? 💙 Make sure that you attend the Students for Sensible Drug Policy Meet Up on Saturday, February 28th at 8pm! Where 👉 Ernst Cafe, 600 S Peters St, New Orleans, LA, 70130 We hope to see you there!

Want to speak at our upcoming Rethinking Nicotine conference in Pittsburgh? Apply by Tuesday, February 24th! First-time speakers and those with lived experience are encouraged to apply.

Help decide the future of SSDP! Apply to join our national Board of Directors or submit a resolution by February 21st! ssdp.org/blog/help-de...

🚨 We urgently need your help to stop 7-OH criminalization in California! Call members of the Senate Health Committee today and urge them to oppose AB 1088. It takes less than five minutes to make a meaningful impact! Call script below 👇️ Time is critical — lawmakers need to hear from us now!