Students for Sensible Drug Policy Is Recipient of First-Ever 2% Giveback Program Grant

H2 Team Chooses SSDP to Honor Organization’s 20th Anniversary and Record of Leadership

Boulder, Colo. – December 19, 2018 – H2 Talent, the premier C-suite and executive-level recruiting agency for the cannabis industry, today announced that Students for Sensible Drug Policy is the inaugural recipient of its 2% Giveback Program.

H2 Talent, which launched earlier this year, built the 2% Giveback Program into its business model from its inception. Through the program, H2 is committed to giving back 2% of the business’s income to programs that improve career opportunities for those affected by cannabis prohibition or address and remedy significant social justice issues related to cannabis. At the end of each year, H2’s founders and employees choose the recipient for the year’s grant.

Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) uses grassroots organizing strategies and centers young voices in the growing conversation about cannabis legalization and broader drug policy reforms. This fall, SSDP members placed nearly 13,000 phone calls to educate voters in states voting on cannabis reform measures in the midterm elections. They are currently active on 379 campuses in 33 countries worldwide.

The H2 team chose SSDP as the inaugural recipient in honor of the organization’s 20th anniversary and its remarkable record of producing engaged leaders in advocacy, education, and business related to drug policy.

“SSDP represents the leaders of tomorrow,” said H2 Talent co-founder Jay Czarkowski. “For 20 years, SSDP has been cultivating dedicated, socially aware students who are educated about the harms of the drug war, the need for diverse and inclusive businesses and communities, and the power to effect change through advocacy. They embody the ideals and principles that H2 wants to promote in the cannabis industry.”

“For 20 years, SSDP has been cultivating the only leadership pipeline into what has become America’s fastest-growing industry, shaped by our founders who now lead the most influential cannabis companies,” said SSDP executive director Betty Aldworth. “Our work is far from done: while the industry flourishes, the harms of marijuana prohibition continue exacting their tolls on the people and communities targeted by discriminatory enforcement and SSDP is as dedicated as ever to rectifying those harms. We are grateful H2 is making a forward-thinking investment in the cannabis pipeline while grounding their values in justice with this generous gift to SSDP.”

H2 Talent focuses on recruiting and placing executive, C-level, and integral operations roles in the cannabis industry. Leveraging a nationwide network and the founders’ insider expertise, the H2 team creates an elevated path for businesses by applying innovative approaches to source the talent solutions they need.

The 2% Giveback Program reflects one of H2’s foundational principles — that giving back is both an opportunity and a responsibility, especially in an industry born from a social justice movement.