The Associated Students Club

Students for Sensible

Drug Policy
Stay Smart. Play Safe.
Media Kit Table of Contents
Media Backgrounder
FAQ
Feature Story Pitch

Team Members
Yvonne Worden

Tayler Blumenfeld

Nikki Sharpio

WWU Students for Sensible Drug Policy

Press Contact: Katrina Haffner
Haffnek.students@wwu.edu | (210)-315-9402

Overview

The Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) is an Associated Students club at Western Washington
University, in operation since November 2012. The club is a chapter of the grassroots, international
SSDP, an organization formed in response to President Nixons war on drugs, a philosophy
incorporated in subsequent administrations. According to the 2013-2014 SSDP Report, there are
over 230 chapters and 3,142 members of SSDP active today. The SSDP works to eliminate the
negative impacts of drug prohibition and legislate alternative drug policies that are more effective.
Both Westerns chapter of SSDP and the international organization strive to empower students to
participate in the political process, push for safer drug policies and fight back against
counterproductive drug war policies that directly harm students and youth. Students around the
world are encouraged to establish new chapters of the SSDP, contact legislators and lobby on drug
policy.
Westerns SSDP is led by three student officers: comprised of a president, vice president and
outreach coordinator. The groups central mission is to empower students to push for sensible drug
policies locally, regionally and nationally. In environments where drugs are exchanged, at schools,
concerts, raves or at home, the SSDP strives to implement harm reduction policies that protect
students.

Current Activity

The SSDP holds weekly meetings on Thursdays in Academic West 203. This quarter, Westerns
SSDP will work on getting a drug policy initiative signed for AS elections in March. The initiative
calls for the federal legalization and decriminalization of marijuana in order to create a legal market to
monitor the substance and reduce its sale on the black market. At meetings, SSDP members promote
drug education in anticipation of upcoming concerts and rave dances in spring and summer. Club
officers will give lectures on the war on drugs, environmental impacts of drug regulation,
pharmaceutical industry drugs, Canadian drug policy, industrial hemp, psychedelic therapy and show
documentaries relating to drug issues.

On a regional level, Westerns SSDP is looking to partner with bar and club venues in Bellingham.
Officers also attend regional SSDP conferences to network with other groups behind the cause of
supporting statewide fair drug policy and use.
In 2012, Initiative I-502 passed into Washington State law, allowing the retail sale and recreational
use of marijuana for adults 21 and above. This measure was a step beyond provisions such as medical
marijuana or decriminalization of marijuana, which do not allow the recreational use of cannabis.
Westerns SSDP seeks to generate awareness on legal use of substances on a regional and national
level. While recreational marijuana has been legalized in Washington State, marijuana and other
substance possession and use are not permitted on campus and students must behave accordingly.
Facts about Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Westerns chapter of SSDP primarily focuses on implementing marijuana legalization on the federal
level. Although marijuana has been legalized in Washington state, the fight for just drug policy is not
over.
Westerns SSDP emphasizes that prohibition of marijuana does not prevent access or use. While the
national SSDP strives for alternative drug policies for multiple substances, the data below is mainly
focused on marijuana, the most actionable drug of policy reform.
SSDP AUDIENCE: Student population
>Western Washington University:
In 2012, 46 percent of students reported marijuana use, 36 percent reported binge drinking
within the past two weeks and 17 percent of students reported recreational use of
hallucinogens or other drugs. (Whatcom Health Assessment executive summary)

30 percent of Western students reported use of marijuana in the previous month and 95
percent of students believed other students had used marijuana during the same time period.
(Initiative 502: News report for WWU families)

>College Students Nation-wide:

One of the main age groups that use controlled substances is the student population.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administrations, the rate of current
illicit drug use was 22.3 percent among full-time college students aged 18 to 22 in 2013,
almost a quarter of those surveyed.
Whatcom County:
According to the 2011 Whatcom County Community Health Assessment, illicit drug use in
Whatcom County is higher than state drug use, with 9.9 percent usage in Whatcom County
and 8.1 percent usage in the state.
-For this survey, marijuana, cocaine, non-medical pain reliever use, and other substances
were considered as illicit drugs.

Whatcom County ranks third for the need for substance abuse services among 39 countries,
according to the Whatcom County Health Plan.

According to Whatcom Countys 2012 executive summary, opiate and heroin use increased
significantly between 2000 and 2009, now ranking in the highest categories.

Although use of marijuana and other drugs is high in Whatcom County, taxation on
marijuana from Initiative-502 is going toward drug education and health services.

According to a 2013 study, 939 individuals within Whatcom Countys seven school districts
were given behavioral health services between 2012-2013. Services are distributed to
students with mental health or substance abuse related issues. (Whatcom County Behavioral
Health Funds Services)

According to the report, funds were allocated 42 percent to prevention, 32 percent to

intervention, 24 percent to treatment and 21 percent to aftercare.

>Above: Courtesy of the Whatcom County Health Department

Washington State:
In 2012, 56 percent of voters approved Initiative 502, which legalized marijuana in
Washington State. The Law took effect on December 6, 2012. According to New Approach
Washington, Initiative 502 imposes taxation on the sale of marijuana, and some of the
revenue is distributed to health agencies.





>Above: Courtesy of NewApproach Washington, Initiative



502

According to the Washington State Office of Financial Management, 1-502s new 25 percent
marijuana excise tax, combined with retail sales and B&O tax, is projected to generate more than a
half-billion dollars in new tax revenue annually. In the initiative, tax revenue would be distributed to
state health care, drug education and local budgets. Of the total tax revenue, $182 million would go
to the state general fund, $34 million to local budgets, and $366 million to health care, education and
prevention.
According to the Good Samaritan page on the SSDP website, five states in the U.S.,
including Washington State as of 2010, grant limited immunity for possession of a controlled
substance during an overdose-related medical emergency.

National:
Legal use of controlled substances varies by state in the U.S: (Source: 24 maps and charts that explain
marijuana)
By 2015, four states legalized marijuana, including Washington, Alaska,
Colorado and Oregon and the District of Columbia.
Beyond legalization, marijuana has also been decriminalized in 19 and medical
marijuana is legal in 23 states. Cannabis is fully illegal in the remaining states.
Decriminalization eliminates criminal penalties, such as extended prison time,
for possession of a limited amount of the drug, but pot possession in these
states isnt necessarily legal where its decriminalized.

Status of Marijuana Laws in the United States

Above: Map of active drug policies in the United States,

courtesy of Norml, Drug Policy Alliance and the Marijuana

Policy Project.

Marijuana is the most commonly used controlled substance.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration summary, daily or
almost daily use of marijuana increased from 5.1 million persons in 2005 to 2007 to 8.1
million persons in 2013.
In 2013, an estimated 2.8 million persons aged 12 or older used an illicit drug for the first
time within the past 12 months. According to the report, approximately 70.3 percent of
initiates reported that their first drug was marijuana.6
The SSDP stresses that prohibition does not prevent access or use of marijuana. According to a 2013
Department of Health and Human Services report, about half of youths aged 12 to 17 reported in
2013 that it would be "fairly easy" or "very easy" for them to obtain marijuana if they wanted some.
Nearly 8% of adults in the U.S. between the ages of 18-54 have a clinically significant alcohol or drug
disorder according to the Whatcom County Health Plan.
Prison Rates:
Americans spent nearly $40 billion on prisons and jails in the year 2000. Almost $24 billion of that
went to incarcerate 1.2 million nonviolent offenders according to the Drug Policy.
Over 8 million pot arrests were made in the U.S. between 2001 and 2010, one bust per 37 seconds,
according to a 2013 American Civil Liberties Union Report According to the report. Marijuana

arrests during that time period accounted for over 52 percent of all drug arrests, 88 percent of which
were solely for marijuana possession.
International:
According to the UNs World Drug Report in 2012, cannabis is the worlds most widely used illicit
substance, with between 119 million and 224 million cannabis users worldwide with stable
consumption.
The Students for Sensible Drug Policy has an international presence, with chapters established in
several countries outside the United States. The 2013-2014 SSDP organization included chapters
from Scotland, Australia, Sierra Leone, Ireland and Ghana.
Internationally, chapters of SSDP work toward establishing 911 Good Samaritan Protocols in
colleges and universities across the globe. There are more than 240 colleges and universities on
record with some form of a Good Samaritan Policy.
Good Samaritan Policies enable students to responsibly alert ambulance services without fear of
punishment when they call for medical help during an emergency for themselves or others relating to
drugs or alcohol. Threat of punitive action can cause hesitation in a drug related medical crisis.
Organization Biography
Katrina Haffner WWU SSDP President
Haffnek.students@wwu.edu | (210) 315-9402
Katrina Haffner, senior at Western, has served as the president of both the Western Libertarians and
the Students for Sensible Drug Policy. In both positions, Haffner worked toward creating a campus
environment where students are invited to become political activists on issues that concern them.
She wanted to get involved because of the disastrous effects of drug prohibition. I am a drug policy
activist because I am a human rights activist, Haffner said. As president of the SSDP since spring
2013, Haffner holds SSDP meetings where students can discuss government substance control, the
long-term effects of the War on Drugs and student drug-use safety. For 2015, Haffners goal is to
get students and faculty to petition for the federal legalization of marijuana and raise the issue as a
discussion topic in the 2015-2016 AS election.
Kyle Jiganti WWU SSDP Vice President
kyjigs@gmail.com
Kyle Jiganti, senior at Western, has been a member of Westerns SSDP since spring quarter 2014.
Jigantis motivation for holding a leadership position stems from having open conversations likeminded people at SSDP. Jigantis goal is to make fellow classmates and the general public aware of
drug policies that may affect them. Jiganti is interested psychedelic studies, which explore the effects
of drug use for individual healing.

Boiler Plate
Western Washington Universitys Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) is part of an
international grassroots network of political rights activists fighting against counteractive drug policy.
Formed in 2012, members of WWUs SSDP work toward bringing change by creating safe spaces for
students to discuss drugs and drug policy. The SSDP neither condones nor condemns drug use, but
advocates for policies that allow the public to make individual decisions about health and wellbeing.
Meetings are held regularly every Thursday, at 5 p.m. in Academic West and involve drug-related
presentations, guest speakers or film showings. To learn more about the WWU SSDP visit
orgsync.com/46584/chapter or visit the national site at ssdp.org.

Potential Interview Contacts

Matthew Hilliard-WWU SSDP Founder, matthew_hilliard@yahoo.com
Jackie J. Mitchell-Program Specialist, (360) 676-6724: Whatcom County Health Department
(Human Services Division)
Missi Woodridge Executive Director, MPH, missi@dancesafe.org:
Dance Safe: Public Health organization promoting health and safety within the nightlife and
electronic music communities
Stephanie Jones: Nightlife Community Engagement Manager, sjones@drugpolicy.org: The
Drug Policy Alliance (DPA): The nations leading organization promoting drug policies that are
grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights.
Joseph Pred, Founder and CEO of MARS- joseph.pred@mars911.info:
Mutual Aid Response Services (MARS) provides festival and event industry with comprehensive
consulting, risk management, and medical services, including permitting, policy, government and
media relations with a focus on progressive approaches to public health and emergency management.
Linnae Ponte: Zendo Project Coordinator: zendo@maps.org.
Zendo: onsite harm reduction service providing compassionate care and education for individuals
having difficult psychedelic experiences
Bibliography
2013-2014 Report, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, http://ssdp.org/assets/SSDP-Annual-Report2014.pdf
A Brief History of the Drug War, The Drug Policy Alliance, http://www.drugpolicy.org/newsolutions-drug-policy/brief-history-drug-war
Behavioral Health Funds School Services Report, Whatcom County Washington Public Health,
http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/health/human/substance_abuse/pdf/bh-servicesreport2012-13.pdf
Billions of Dollars Wasted on Racially Biased Arrests, American Civil Liberties Union, June 2013.
https://www.aclu.org/files/assets/1114413-mj-report-rfs-rel1.pdf
Call 911 Good Samaritan Policies, Students for Sensible Drug Policy. http://ssdp.org/campaigns/call911-good-samaritan-policies/
Drug Policy, We Are the Drug Policy Alliance. http://www.drugpolicy.org/washington-state/
Estimated Annual Tax Revenue Distributions from I-502, American Civil Liberties Union of
Washington, Inc. https://acluwa.org/sites/default/files/pie_graph/502_tax_revenue_chart.pdf
Lopez, German. 24 maps and charts that explain marijuana, Vox.com, November 5, 2014.
http://www.vox.com/2014/10/1/6872975/marijuana-legalization-maps-charts-facts
Washington Legalization, Normal-working to reform marijuana laws, state law.,
http://norml.org/legal/item/washington-legalization?category_id=1582

Whatcom County Community 2011 Health Assessment, Whatcom County Department of Health,
http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/health/ch/pdf/com-health-assessment.pdf
Whatcom County Community Health Assessment: Report of Findings 2012, PeaceHealth St. Joseph
Medical Center and the Whatcom County Health Department, July 2012.
http://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1200/WhatcomCHA2012.pdf,
World Drug Report 2012, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and
analysis/WDR2012/Executive_summary_24may.pdf
Reference Group Executive Summary Fall 2012, American College Health Association National College
Health Assessment. 2013, http://www.acha-ncha.org/docs/ACHA-NCHAII_UNDERGRAD_ReferenceGroup_ExecutiveSummary_Fall2012.pdf
Results from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings,
Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality,
September 2014.
http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUHresultsPDFWHTML2013/Web/
NSDUHresults2013.pdf
Substance Abuse, Whatcom County Comprehensive Behavioral Health Plan. July 2008.
http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/health/pdf/behavioral_comp_health_plan.pdf .
Using marijuana is prohibited on Westerns campus. Soundings: News for WWU Families. Published
9/3/2014. http://www.wwu.edu/soundings/summer14/marijuana.shtml
Washington Drug Threat Assessment, National Drug Intelligence Center. February 2003.
http://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs3/3138/overview.htm
Washington Substance Abuse Statistics, National Substance Abuse Index. 2005.
http://nationalsubstanceabuseindex.org/washington/stats.php

TOP TEN FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Students for Sensible Drug Policy

1) WHAT IS YOUR ORGANIZATION ABOUT?
We are a chapter of the Students for Sensible Drug Policy, an international grassroots
network of students working to end the war on drugs. The SSDP seeks change by bringing students
of all political and ideological backgrounds to talk about drug policy openly. As of 2014, the SSDP
has 230 chapters and 3,142 members strong.
We seek to empower students to push for sensible drug policies and we advocate for
compassion, reason and scientific research for creating drug policies.
2) WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT WESTERNS CHAPTER OF SSDP?
With marijuana legalized in Washington state by Initiative 502, we can educate students on
what rights they have in the state and in the country. We neither condemn nor condone drug use.
We join the international SSDP in their effort of federally legalizing marijuana, which can
limit dosage purchased and keep people safe. Tax revenue generated from marijuana can go toward
health care, youth drug prevention, public health education, the state general fund, etc.
Washington state has an active rave and concert season in the spring in the summer season.
Club drugs, such as ecstasy and MDMA, are highly exchanged at these events. We hope to give
students the information they need to keep themselves and their friends safe in this environment. By
implementing 911 Good Samaritan policies, students wont hesitate getting the help they need if a
drug overdose should occur.
3) WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE?
The SSDP targets the student population, one of the main age groups using controlled
substances. According to the 2013 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration survey, the
rate of illicit drug use was 22.3 percent of full-time college students between ages of 18 and 22.
Western students can reinforce the SSDPs vision by seeking drug policy that is safe and
compassionate rather than punitive.
We are a non-profit organization, so we also target voters who can make political choices
with their dollar with donations and support, typically adults past college. We encourage any adult

with an open mind to become an activist on drug policies that protect individual freedoms, choices
and safety.
4) WHEN ARE SSDP MEETINGS HELD?
Meetings are held every Thursday at 5 p.m. in Academic West 203.
5) WHAT KIND OF MEETINGS ARE HELD?
Every meeting covers a different topic related to drug policy. We show documentaries, give
presentations and have drug-related discussions. Once a year we hold a campus-wide safe rave,
featuring electronic music and a guest DJ.
Presentation topics include:
-Drug policy organization and allies
-Environmental impacts of the war on drugs
-Canadian drug policy
-Industrial hemp
-Psychedelic therapy
-Documentaries: Whats in my Baggy? Vices Mexican Mormon War
6) WHY SHOULD I JOIN?
Get your drug-related questions answered: whether its for you, your friends, or family. A
key to drug safety and awareness is good drug education. Drug policy is a contentious subject, but
while youre at Western, its time to pursue all of your academic interests.
7) CAN I SMOKE WEED ON CAMPUS? WHAT IS THE DRUG POLICY AT
WESTERN?
While students 21 or older can legally purchase and use recreational marijuana in
Washington state, Western has a zero-tolerance policy. Students caught in possession of drugs or
using them are subject to disciplinary action, which can include removal from residence halls or
cancellation of financial aid. See Westerns Policy Concerning Alcohol and Other Drugs.
8) HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?
Attend a SSDP meeting, held every Thursday of the quarter. You can also get updates from
Westerns SSDP Facebook page. You can donate to SSDPs cause on the website.
9) WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION?
Anyone can find information about SSDP chapters, campaigns, resources and events on the
website, SSDP.org.
10) WHO CAN I TALK TO ABOUT SSDP?

Consult any of our campus club officers.

SSDP President: Katrina Haffner
Haffnek.students@wwu.edu: (210) 315-9402
SSDP Vice President: Kyle Jiganti
kyjigs@gmail.com
Outreach Coordinator: Kelsey Severson
Kelseyseverson18@yahoo.com

Dear Stephanie Bishop and Heidi DeHart,

On crowded morning WTA busses, students headed to campus can look at the faces around them
and assume everyone has taken a substance in their life, said Katrina Haffner, president of the
Students for Sensible Drug Policy at Western. Whether it is coffee, alcohol, marijuana or even
stronger drugs, some addictions are more socially acceptable than others, she said.
Westerns SSDP is a chapter of an international nonprofit organization, which brings students of all
political and ideological backgrounds together to talk about drug policy openly. The groups central
mission is to legalize marijuana federally, going beyond legalization in Washington state from I-502.
SSDP interaction on social media can get heated, Haffner said. On one YikYak SSDP update, an
anonymous user commented fucking stoners. According the 2012 Whatcom Health Assessment,
46 percent of students in Whatcom County reported marijuana use, 36 percent of students reported
binge drinking and 17 percent of students reported recreational use of hallucinogens or other drugs
within a month period.
The problem is I dont think a lot of people including Western students are aware of the effects of
drug prohibition, Haffner said. Maybe they know a person who was busted for marijuana but they
dont see it as being a systematic problem.
Some members of SSDP will be launching an initiative for federal marijuana legalization on April 14
for the AS elections. Tax revenue generated from marijuana legalization can go toward health care,
youth drug prevention and public health education. A feature on drug policy could be relatable to
your readers in spring quarter, which is a popular concert and rave season. Club drugs are often used
at these events but the SSDP wants to keep students safe while off campus. Covering Haffners AS
initiative efforts and SSDP events such as discussions, documentaries and the annual safe rave could
be a great way to connect with any of your readers affected by drugs.
Its possible to advocate for better, smarter drug policy without using drugs [yourself], Haffner
said.
Ive attached a media backgrounder on Westerns SSDP, which should be helpful for your reporters
if you decide to pursue this story.
Thank you,
Yvonne Worden, Tayler Blumenfeld and Nikki Sharpio
Contact:
Katrina Haffner SSDP President
Haffnek.students@wwu.edu | (210) 315-9402
Visuals:
Photo op: SSDPs annual Safe Rave in May. The purpose of the event is to encourage students to
dance and have fun but learn about harm reduction and drug policy. Photos can also be taken during
the AS elections or in downtown Bellingham at dispensaries.