FPC students give the American SSDP a voice in Canada
by Juliana Spence
Exchange Staff

     Three members from Students for a Sensible Drug Policy attended a Counter Symposium Conference in Montreal, Canada during summer break.

     Jonathan Perri, President of SSDP, along with Jimi Devine and Rob Nicholson, were the only American SSDP members out of the 46 chapters in the country to attend the counter-conference on May 8th.  The counter-conference, which was titled "Responding to U.S. Drug Policy Hegemony," was partly in response to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s International Conference that was being held that day across the street from it in Montreal.  The speakers were followed by an extensive question and answer session.

     Devine said he was struck by the grand ballroom that was set up for 500 people where the counter-conference was being held.  He said, "I didn't realize how many people were there to go against U.S. drug policy and discuss the problems with America's war on drugs."

     Perri said, "One of the main reasons for this counter-conference in Canada is the influence that U.S. Drug Policy has on other countries."  He said, "Many people think that Canada has much more lax drug laws in comparison to the U.S., and in some places this is true, but they are still greatly pressured by the U.S. policies."

     The three had breakfast and lunch in Ottawa the following day with Kirk Tousaw who is the acting chair of the BC Civil Liberties Association Drug Policy Committee, Sanho Tree who is a Fellow and Director of the Drug Policy Project at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C., Robert Fields of Common Sense for Drug Policy, Terry Nelson who is a retired Supervisor of U.S. Border, Customs, and Homeland Security, and many more. 

     Devine said, "We are really dedicated to what we do up here (at FPC), so it was a networking experience where we got to be the helpful American voice and also influence the Canadian SSDP which is just starting up."

     The counter-conference was sponsored by the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, the University of Ottawa Department of Criminology, LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition), and the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy.

     Perri said that this semester he hopes to sponsor more speakers such as another Law Enforcement Against Prohibition speaker, hold movie screenings, attend an SSDP international conference in November in Washington D.C. titled "Just Say Know," and an on campus, public debate with an SGA member, while continuing to inform and educate the student body about the War on Drugs, the Higher Education Act Reform, and citizens rights pertaining to drug laws.