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New Student Group Actively Opposes War on Drugs
Grayson Irvin | RedAndBlack | 01/27/2005

After growing frustrated with current drug policies, University freshman Carsten Singh decided to find his own solution.

It came in the form of starting a new student organization -- Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

SSDP, a Washington, D.C., based organization with chapters at colleges and universities around the nation, provides education on what its members believe to be the harms caused by the War on Drugs.

The group involves youth in the political process and promotes an open, honest and rational discussion of alternative solutions to national drug policies, according to its Web site (www.ssdp.com).

Although SSDP "neither encourages nor condemns drug use," it "focuses on drug issues with the greatest impact on young and underrepresented communities," according to the Web site.

Information distribution will be the main focus of SSDP at the University when activities commence later this semester.

"Our main goal is increasing student and faculty awareness of harsh drug laws and the ineffectiveness of the government's war on drugs," said Singh, a freshman from Conyers. "Current drug policy is causing more problems than alternative policies which have the potential to reduce damage done on individuals and society."

He said he plans to focus on problems affecting college students such as the drug penalties of the Higher Education Act, which he feels disproportionately affect blacks -- a group with higher rates of drug conviction -- by denying financial aid to applicants with drug offenses.

Singh also added he hopes SSDP will have a positive relationship with the University administration.

Two studies, the 2001 Core Survey and the 2002 First-Year Student Orientation Survey at the University, demonstrate the relevance of drugs on campus.

The results of the surveys show 77.5 percent of University students consumed alcohol, tobacco or other drugs within the last 30 days.

More than one in four of those surveyed had tried marijuana within a year of entering the University.

Singh said he will give extra attention to marijuana use; he said he sees current laws and policies as wasteful, ineffective and even cruel in the case of patients with terminal illnesses being denied medical marijuana to ease their pain.

Students interested in the organization should look for information around campus. Activities will start around the end of February.

Some ideas for events include a "Hookah-Fest" and a film festival featuring movies related to drugs.

"We are a political organization; our effectiveness will require both organization and numbers," Singh said.

(BuzzNote: If your're a college student, this is another way you can fight for the legalization of marijuana. If your school has a SSDP chapter, join it. If it doesn't, go to the SSDP website and find out about setting one up.)

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Though i am not currently enrolled in college, I fully support what y'all are doin. The use of some drugs are totally different form the uses of most drugs...mainly good ol mary jane..lol.. well any ways i do not know if y'all are up to new idas to discuss but mabye how the government racks in millions of dollars a year off of the money that people have to pay them for drug test probation fees court costs etc. etc.etc. Then further more the fact that people there are a lot of cases out there where people actually got sent to jail for the charges or unfortunately can't stop smoking and fail piss tests b/c of marijuana anyways theese people get sent to jail and take up cells truely needed for rapeist and murders. It happens everyday somebody who needs to go away can't b/c oooo there's some hippy's locked up somewhere for a dime bag and a pipe!!!! Where the law needs to be is in the hard core area when was the last time u knew a pot head to go stealing from their momma or children to get stoned....NEVER....and if you do then at somepoint in time that kind of person is enevedibly going to turn to hard core drugs b/c that is just the pee brain mentality that they have...

thank you for what you are trying to do and what will one day be done
GOD BLESSED THE HIPPIES!!!!