Students gather at Harm Reduction and Awareness Night

Rowan’s chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) hosted a Harm Reduction and Awareness Night in the Student Center Expansion on Wednesday, Sept. 24. Although they did not get the attendance they had hoped for, the organization is still looking for new members, especially first-year students and anyone interested in fulfilling a leadership role. 

The original event planned for this night, unfortunately, took a turn, for the guest speaker scheduled for this time was unable to attend at the last minute. This guest speaker, who works as a healthcare professional off-campus, was scheduled to demonstrate CPR and Narcan basics. They plan on rescheduling this event, so students will have the opportunity to learn these basics and possibly have the chance to sign up for CPR certification. 

SSDP, according to the official website, is “the largest national youth-led network dedicated to ending the War on Drugs.” Their mission is to promote “honest drug education and promote harm reduction.”

Alecia Lamplugh, the newfound president and advocate for Rowan’s chapter of the organization, elaborates further on what this organization wants to promote to students at Rowan University and beyond. 

“We want students to know how to save lives if they’re ever in trouble. We want people to continue talking about how relevant and real fentanyl overdose is, and we want people to realize how close to home it actually is … You could be very close to having an accident yourself. So we want to make sure that the student body has the tools and the resources to be able to keep the conversation going and make sure people are aware,” said Lamplugh.

Paul Gambone, vice president of Rowan’s chapter of SSDP, added his thoughts on this essential question as well. 

“You never know what kinds of situations you’re going to be put in. If you go into the party scenes, I do feel like it’s best to be as informed and safe as possible,” said Gambone. 

The group stressed how fentanyl can be easily mixed with other drugs and how people’s drinks can be easily laced at parties. Rita Hamadi, an executive board member and PR representative for SSDP, emphasizes how important it is for especially first-year students to be informed on this topic. 

“It’s especially important for freshmen. You guys are new to the campus. You never know what’s going to happen out there. You might end up saving someone’s life,” said Hamadi.

Lamplugh goes on to clarify that the club stands for more important subjects other than the prevention of fentanyl overdose. 

“Harm Reduction [and Awareness Night] was just an event of the club, but it’s not the whole theme of the club. We advocate for all things like legalizing cannabis, studying psychedelic research and medicine, and just being an advocate for the students in general when it comes to this matter,” said Lamplugh. 

Lamplugh elaborates on the club membership experience and how SSDP seeks out new members. 

“I think that we just want to get the word out there that we want members that are genuinely engaged with the legal cannabis industry … It’s a space where you can also work on self-development and leadership. We try to offer some leadership roles. I keep trying to push the fact that you could really use this as a way to put together a student portfolio. We also just want to build up the club for the people who come after us,” said Lamplugh. 

Both Lamplugh and Gambone are seniors at Rowan this year, so they are looking for people to fill their shoes once they leave. There is an entire executive board that they are looking to fill in the future. 

As for meeting times, the group does not currently have a set meeting day and time. However, as more members join, the group is willing to be flexible with meeting times. Lamplugh has also considered hosting virtual meetings as needed.