2 brand new SSDP chapters now on the map!

We're excited to announce the two newest additions to our chapter network this week. Welcome to the team, GWU Law and Wheaton SSDP!

The George Washington University Law School - Washington, DC (Mid-Altantic Region)

Kellen Ruscinello is currently pursuing his JD/MPH degrees as a 2nd year student at GWU Law. Since 2010, he has served as President of the GW Student Association for Drug Law Reform, which was re-chartered yesterday as GW Law Students for Sensible Drug Policy! The group has been hard at work this school year, they've held several events including yesterday's panel entitled "Mexico: Violence, Corruption and Drugs: Social Issues and Reform in Mexico" with Maureen Meyer from the Washington Office on Latin America and Eric Sterling from the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation. GWLSSDP joins our network as our fifth law school chapter, see the full list here.

Wheaton College - Norton, MA (Northeast Region)

In January, James Salamon heard about SSDP when his professor brought us up in his Mysticism and Spirituality course. After doing some of his own research and becoming more and more intrigued by the issue, he got in touch with the national staff to get the ball rolling. Earlier this week, Wheaton SSDP stood before their Student Government Association and received official student group recognition! As a group, they feel that their presence on campus can act as an educational tool to the college community and beyond.

Welcoming 2 more new SSDP chapters this week

With students going back to school, it's certainly been a busy week for student drug policy reform! As administrators get back to work as well, two more SSDP chapters have gained official student group approval from their schools, and now we're excited to welcome Tufts University and Utah State University to our chapter network.

Tufts University Boston, MA (Northeast Region)
Alex Baskin heard about SSDP in the Spring of 2010 through his friends who lead our chapter at Rutgers University New Brunswick and "was blown away" by the work the chapter was doing on a city wide lowest law enforcement priority initiative. He has been working on establishing a chapter of his own at Tufts University ever since. The first order of business for Tufts SSDP will be addressing campus marijuana policies that still sanction students through the judicial system for marijuana possession, which is no longer a crime in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (possession of up to 28 grams of cannabis was decriminalized when Question 2 passed the legislature in 2009).

Utah State University Logan, UT (Mountain Plains Region)
Last September, Adam Black was looking for ways to get involved in drug policy reform when he came across our website. He says that Logan, Utah is a college town experiencing some of the most aggressive drug law enforcement with some of the harshest penalties in the world. USU SSDP is determined to do something about that.

Students for Sensible Drug Policy is active across the United States with official chapters at over 150 high schools, colleges, universities, graduate & law schools. We also have chapter networks forming in several countries outside of the U.S. Visit our website to join or start one at your school today, and to access our activist resources including our comprehensive Student Organizing Manual.

Chapter Leader of the Week: Hilary Dulin, Northeastern University

Name: Hilary Dulin
Title: Co-founder & President, NU SSDP
School: Northeastern University, Class of 2011
Major: Behavioral Neuroscience

SSDP: When did you 1st get involved with SSDP?
Hilary: I got involved in Fall of 2008 when I met Kevin Franciotti who was working on bringing SSDP to Northeastern. I became involved and helped to found the chapter.

SSDP: What issues are important for your chapter?
Hilary: Enrollment: Keeping things interesting and getting new people not only interested but staying involved

Education: Getting out information about our group through events, and making sure our students know about their rights on campus and off

We also have members working on Good Samaritan Policies in Massachusetts, and plan to lobby for both the Medical Marijuana and Marijuana legalization bills when they are reintroduced in January.

SSDP: Do you have any events planned for the this semester?
Hilary: Yes! We are starting Wire Wednesdays, showing the wire on the off-weeks of our bi-weekly meetings

Panel on Modern Perspectives in Psychedelic Medicine: Rick Doblin, Michael Mithoefer, and John Halpern, are coming to talk about modern research on psychedelics (in humans!) and the social implications of that research on February 8th.

And of course going to the Training Conference in March!

SSDP: What do you like best about being part of SSDP?
Hilary: That its a real and necessary thing. Not only are we making change with in our campus and greater communities, but as a chapter leader I realized the importance of having someone to talk to who knows the system after getting busted. Good advice and a place to turn to can make a lot of difference!

SSDP: Do you have any advice for other chapter leaders?
Hilary: Never give up! We had a rough year last year and had only 3 returning members (including myself), now we have 10-15 solid members and have hosted 1 successful event and have two more that we already have funding for.

Ask for help. You will drive your self crazy trying to do and make every decision on your own. Its much better to get people to be involved and love it as much as you do.