Advocating for Sensible Drug Policies at the U.S. Congress

Agora joins SSDP’s 2025 National Lobby Day on Capitol Hill

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On April 20th, 2025, Agora proudly joined Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and a broad coalition of youth, advocacy organizations, and reform allies for a National Lobby Day in Washington, D.C. — a landmark event calling on Congress to adopt evidence-based, health-centered, and youth-driven drug policies.

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The Lobby Day, organized by SSDP, mobilized students, advocates, and experts from across the United States to demand an end to outdated punitive drug laws and to champion reforms rooted in public health, harm reduction, and human rights. Together, participants met with lawmakers to present a clear, urgent, and united message:

Deschedule cannabis, expand access to psychedelic research and therapy, and integrate harm reduction education into all levels of the national drug response.

Our Advocacy Focus

As part of the joint campaign, Agora supported the following key priorities:

• Full Descheduling of Cannabis: We support removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act to allow for equitable access, research, and regulation that benefit communities disproportionately impacted by prohibition.

• Psychedelic Research and Therapy: We advocate for policies that enable scientific research and evidence-based access to psychedelic-assisted therapies, recognizing their potential in treating mental health and substance use disorders.

• Harm Reduction on Campuses: We call for the Department of Education to adopt harm reduction guidelines that protect students’ health, promote awareness, and ensure access to lifesaving interventions such as naloxone and fentanyl testing strips.

These measures are not just policy reforms—they are moral imperatives. The current overdose crisis, particularly among young people, demands immediate action: according to UCLA research, overdose deaths among U.S. teenagers nearly doubled in 2020 and rose another 20% in 2021, even as drug use remained stable.

Why This Matters

In over 70% of youth overdose deaths between 2019 and 2022, another person was present but unaware the young person was overdosing — a tragedy that underscores the urgent need for education, harm reduction, and early intervention, not punishment.

As our partners at SSDP powerfully remind us:

“The time is long past for an end to the war on drugs. Young people across the country have countless better ways to address drug use — we just need to give them the tools.”

Agora stands with SSDP, Last Prisoner Project, Freedom Grow, Oakland Hyphae, and other supporting organizations in advancing this generation’s call for a humane, equitable, and evidence-based drug policy framework.