Preventing the next Big Tobacco

Holding Big Marijuana Accountable,
Protecting the Public from Marijuana Commercialization

SAM’s primary focus is educating the public about the harms of marijuana legalization—a policy which has consistently placed corporate profits and addiction ahead of public health. We provide information on the harms of such policies to interested parties for use in messaging, and educate federal and state legislators on the benefits of a science-based marijuana policy.

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Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) is

We envision a society where marijuana policies are aligned with the scientific understanding of marijuana’s harms, and the commercialization and normalization of marijuana are no more. Our mission is to educate citizens on the science of marijuana and to promote health-first, smart policies and attitudes that decrease marijuana use and its consequences.

Educating the public and policy makers on the harms of marijuana commercialization and legalization

We invest heavily in the longer-term goals of educating the public and policy-makers alike on the harms of marijuana use and marijuana commercialization, the importance of science-based drug policy, and research into the potential medical use of compounds derived from marijuana. Working with our state affiliates, we hold federal, state, and local-level briefings across the country on these issues, and produce and distribute a wide range of related educational materials at no charge.

 

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The Four Pillars of
Smart Approaches to Marijuana

Awareness

To inform public policy with the science of today’s marijuana.

Reform

To have honest conversation about legal reforms that include reducing the unintended consequences of current marijuana policies, such as lifelong stigma due to arrest.

Prevention

To prevent the establishment of Big Marijuana that would market marijuana to children — and to prevent Big Tobacco from taking over Big Marijuana. Those are the very likely results of legalization.

Research

To promote research on marijuana in order to obtain FDA-approved, pharmacy-dispensed, cannabis-based medications.

Stay Up to Date on Recent News

Friday Fact: Frequent marijuana use leads to a 41% higher chance of severe tooth loss

Compared with people who do not use marijuana frequently, people reporting frequent marijuana use had 41% higher odds of having severe tooth loss. For cavities, the likelihood is 17% higher, and for decay at the roots it’s 55% higher odds. These troubling findings, from the Journal of the American Dental Association, reveal yet another negative impact of weed […]
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Help SAM Tell the Trump Adminstration: Don’t Reschedule Marijuana

Please copy and paste the text below into the form linked here to let the the President or the Vice President know you don’t want that to happen. Dear President Trump/Vice President Vance,  I write to urge you not to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. This was a dangerous idea when the […]
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New PA Bill Favors Marijuana Industry Over Families

HARRISBURG, PA – Today, Senate Bill 120 was unveiled, which would force Pennsylvania municipalities to host recreational marijuana dispensaries with no freedom to opt out of retail stores, strip local governments of any authority to ban or restrict them, and even allow up to “1,000 milligrams of THC contained in cannabis-infused edible products or cannabis-infused nonedible […]
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Be a part of ourgrowing coalition

Our partners consist of both individuals and organizations who promote big ideas and help us in this ongoing work championing smart policies that decrease marijuana use.

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We should meet people where they are at, but never leave them where they are at.

Congressman Patrick J. KennedyCo-Founder, Smart Approaches to Marijuana

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