AMPLIFY Artist Addition: Cas Haley

SSDP's AMPLIFY Project is proud to announce Cas Haley as our newest addition to the AMPLIFY artist family! We're excited to add an artist that has proved determination, hard work, and good vibes can take you a long way (not to mention incredible talent!). Head over to his facebook page and show him some love! Cas' story is pretty cool:

His crystalline voice and funky, easygoing beats earned Cas Haley a second-place finish on America’s Got Talent, which in turn netted him a measure of fame and a following. But the contest also locked the Texan singer/songwriter/guitarist into a major label deal that didn’t feel right. So, not wanting to be turned into a manufactured product, he struck out on his own. Connection, his Easy Star Records debut, is aptly named. It’s all about those deep-running connections that make him what he is—those unbreakable links between artist and audience, between styles of music, between art and life, and most of all, between all people. As Cas points out, reggae’s core message is, after all, "one love."

Cas is about to hit the road with AMPLIFY artists Easy Star All Stars and The Green just in time for spring. What better way to warm up after a chilly winter than signing up your SSDP chapter for some of these shows?

3/23 Mt. Snow - Mt. Snow, VT
3/31 Bourbon Quarter - Baltimore, MD
4/1 Jefferson Theatre - Charlottesville, VA
4/2 The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC
4/3 Cat’s Cradle - Carrboro, NC
4/5 The Soapbox - Wilmington, NC
4/6 The Music Farm - Charleston, SC
4/7 Freebird Live - Jacksonville, FL
4/8 Plaza Theatre - Orlando, FL (part of Florida Music Fest)
4/9 Culture Room - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
4/10 State Theatre - St. Petersburg, FL
4/12 Common Grounds - Gainesville, FL
4/13 Seville Quarters - Pensacola, FL
4/14 New Earth Music Hall - Athens, GA
4/16 World Café Live - Wilmington, DE
4/17 World Café Live - Philadelphia, PA
4/20 Highline Ballroom - New York, NY (w/ AMPLIFY artist John Brown's Body)
4/21 Castaways - Ithaca, NY
4/22 Westcott Theatre - Syracuse, NY (w/ AMPLIFY artist John Brown's Body)
4/23 The Great Hall - Toronto, ON
4/25 Cabaret Mile End - Montreal, QC
4/26 Higher Ground - Burlington, VT

Announcing 3 new official SSDP chapters!

We're proud to announce three newly established SSDP chapters this week, making them the first additions to our chapter network in 2011! As we officially welcome University of Akron, Central Washington University & University of Florida by adding them to the map, we'd also like to take this opportunity to tell you about the students who stepped up to lead the student drug policy reform movement at their school by founding an SSDP chapter.

University of Akron - Akron, OH (Midwest Region)
Anthony Burrows has been working to establish an SSDP chapter at U of A for almost exactly a year! In January 2010, he came across our website while searching for organizations whose missions are focused on ending the war on drugs. He was faced with obstacle after obstacle in his quest to establish an active SSDP chapter at U of A, navigating through administrative red tape for much of the Fall 2010 semester, but he wasn't going to let a little bureaucracy stop him. Finally, last week, Anthony received word from his school administration that his student organization recognition request has been approved!

Central Washington University - Ellensburg, WA (Western Region)
Brian Grimmer discovered SSDP in October of last year while researching medical marijuana policies for Washington state college campuses. Now that the CWU SSDP chapter is up and running, he hopes to establish a campus medical marijuana policy that would provide protection for students who are medical cannabis patients.

University of Florida - Gainesville, FL (Southern Region)
Chase Corbin got connected to us in November when he was looking for drug policy internship opportunities, he noticed SSDP was mentioned on the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) and Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) websites and decided to check us out. Chase hopes to make an impact on campus with his chapter by facilitating professional and evidence based discussions about drug policy. Currently a University Scholar at UF majoring in philosophy & economics, he hopes to attend law school then pursue a career in drug policy reform after completing his studies as an undergrad.

Students for Sensible Drug Policy is active across the United States with official chapters at over 150 high schools, colleges, universities, graduate & law schools. Visit our website to join or start one at your school today, and to access our activist resources including our comprehensive Student Organizing Manual.