Announcing 3 new official SSDP chapters!

We're proud to announce three newly established SSDP chapters this week, making them the first additions to our chapter network in 2011! As we officially welcome University of Akron, Central Washington University & University of Florida by adding them to the map, we'd also like to take this opportunity to tell you about the students who stepped up to lead the student drug policy reform movement at their school by founding an SSDP chapter.

University of Akron - Akron, OH (Midwest Region)
Anthony Burrows has been working to establish an SSDP chapter at U of A for almost exactly a year! In January 2010, he came across our website while searching for organizations whose missions are focused on ending the war on drugs. He was faced with obstacle after obstacle in his quest to establish an active SSDP chapter at U of A, navigating through administrative red tape for much of the Fall 2010 semester, but he wasn't going to let a little bureaucracy stop him. Finally, last week, Anthony received word from his school administration that his student organization recognition request has been approved!

Central Washington University - Ellensburg, WA (Western Region)
Brian Grimmer discovered SSDP in October of last year while researching medical marijuana policies for Washington state college campuses. Now that the CWU SSDP chapter is up and running, he hopes to establish a campus medical marijuana policy that would provide protection for students who are medical cannabis patients.

University of Florida - Gainesville, FL (Southern Region)
Chase Corbin got connected to us in November when he was looking for drug policy internship opportunities, he noticed SSDP was mentioned on the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) and Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) websites and decided to check us out. Chase hopes to make an impact on campus with his chapter by facilitating professional and evidence based discussions about drug policy. Currently a University Scholar at UF majoring in philosophy & economics, he hopes to attend law school then pursue a career in drug policy reform after completing his studies as an undergrad.

Students for Sensible Drug Policy is active across the United States with official chapters at over 150 high schools, colleges, universities, graduate & law schools. Visit our website to join or start one at your school today, and to access our activist resources including our comprehensive Student Organizing Manual.

D.A.R.E. Officers Give Out Donuts to Get Kids to Talk to Them

D.A.R.E.'s International Training Conference is underway in Cincinnati, OH right now and D.A.R.E. officers from all over the country have figured out a healthy and non-ironic way to educate kids about the dangers of drugs: free donuts.

Seriously. That's the best they could come up with. Considering that poor diet and lack of exercise contribute to nearly 400,000 deaths each year, they couldn't have made a worse choice. Maybe if D.A.R.E. wasn't spending thousands of dollars each year on Mustangs and monster trucks with custom paint jobs to make kids think they're cool, they could have bought these kids some carrot sticks instead of giving out 1,000 sugar glazed artery cloggers donated by Dunkin' Donuts.

One police officer explained that giving out free donuts made children a lot less afraid of approaching police. "For people to approach you, it's a good thing because as police officers, that usually doesn't happen."

Why in the world would young people be cautious of talking to police officers? Police are the good guys right? They protect and serve and wage a war on drugs, so why is it unusual for them to be approached?

It might have something to do with things like this: