Students for Sensible Drug Policy

One community that I belong to is: Students for Sensible Drug Policy at Florida State University. This group challenges laws that we think are unfair in relation to the “War on Drugs”. We head campaigns to promote change, and hold meetings to teach people their rights and inform them of current laws. The diversity of the club members is significant. Members range anywhere from “drug-free students” to “less than clean” students to political activists to people who are just looking for something to do. Our group Students for Sensible Drug Policy at Florida State University also collaborates with teachers, against the drug war, at the university to provide educational meetings. In the past we have had several teachers come and talk to the members about their view of the drug war and how it pertained to their field of study. Within this community I act as Secretary.  I take the minutes of each meeting and send them to all of the members immediately after each one. This semester Student for Sensible Drug Policy is hosting the Southeastern Regional Conference at Florida State University. Every Sunday or Tuesday, the rest of the officers and I, meet to plan this conference. The four of us work on acquiring speakers and food donations, planning advertising and schedules, and calculating a budget.  One thing I hate is when people assume that all we do in the club is smoke weed and accomplish absolutely nothing. Last semester we worked with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws at Florida State University to hold benefit concerts in order to purchase a billboard on Gaines Street discrediting the prohibition of marijuana. Students for Sensible Drug Policy at Florida State University also worked with NORML to pass a student initiative on the student election ballots, which, if passed, would lower the penalties of on-campus marijuana violations to that of on-campus alcohol infractions. It passed 65.8% to 34.2%. The community I am a part of, Students for Sensible Drug Policy at Florida State University, is not a “social club” for people looking to meet other people who use drugs.  But at the same time we are not a “seriousness all the time” club. We usually start meetings off with a video clip of ridiculous anti-drug commercials to lighten the mood. Then we go over the agenda and set up an agenda for the next week’s meeting. Time is left at the end for questions to be answered, and there is usually some form of socializing after the meeting. The officers encourage members to attend the leadership meetings and provide thoughtful ideas for campaigns we should pursue or videos that should be shown. In the end, we are a very active club that does not sit around smoking joints and eating food.