Succession Planning

Days in Tallahassee 19
Remaining committees 7
Remaining Days for bills to be heard 28
Remaining days of funding 11

Although the legislators were back in the district this weekend, I stayed in town to be part of the Southern Region Students for Sensible Drug Policy Conference hosted by the Florida State University SSDP/NORML chapter.

What a great group; over 30 student leaders from Atlanta to Miami made the long haul to Tallahassee. Saturday night Sabrina from FAU led an awareness building exercise and a few fun and informative icebreakers. Today’s program featured excellent workshops created and facilitated by students.

The well-thought out program gave chapter leaders real skills, a minute to vent and time to discuss moving the conversation of drug policy. It was a time for community building; with the Internet, Skype and social networking our community may be borderless, but those face-to-face meetings are priceless.

One of the repeating themes of the day was succession planning. In their case, it was about making sure the college chapter lasts through the next graduating class. For people like me, succession planning is investing in Student’s for Sensible Drug Policy and the NORML University groups. They are my succession plan. We need to protect their financial aid and make sure they can get through college without a felony conviction.

Investing in college students is also about raising the bar for drug policy reform. They are smarter than we were when we started. We can give them insight and guidance. They may stand on the shoulders of giants; they will be able to take us further.

Today, we were reminded the struggle for human rights isn’t over. The civil rights movement is certainly not finished or over; but a new generation must be engaged and prepared or we’ll stand to lose precious gains.

Drug policy made inroads this year in Tallahassee. We’ve watched a rejection of private prisons, seen the Good Samaritan 911 bill move through the House and Senate. Mandatory minimum sentences were challenged for the second year and found favor in several committees and sensible cannabis policy has a voice. The struggle isn’t over, but we are an unstoppable force.