Statement From SAM President Kevin Sabet Regarding White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s Comments on Marijuana Laws
Contact: Anisha Gianchandani
+1 (703) 828-8182
[Alexandria, VA] – Today, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) issued the following statement in response to comments made by Sean Spicer, President Trump’s Press Secretary:
“The current situation is unsustainable. States that have legalized marijuana continue to see a black market for the drug, increased rates of youth drug use, continued high rates of alcohol sales, and interstate trafficking, with drug dealers taking advantage of non-enforcement,” said SAM President and CEO Kevin A. Sabet. “This isn’t an issue about states rights, its an issue of public health and safety for communities. Marijuana is poised to be the next Big Tobacco, an industry that seeks to profit off an addictive product. We’re hopeful that the Trump Administration will pursue a smart approach to enforcement that prioritizes public health and safety over political ideology.”
In December, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health issued a report showing that Colorado youth past-month marijuana use is higher than it was before legalization. It also found that Colorado teens and adults use marijuana at a higher rate than the rest of the country. Colorado legalized marijuana in 2012 and implemented legal marijuana stores in 2014. At the same time, sales of alcohol showed a slight increase.
Marijuana – which has skyrocketed in average potency over the past decades – is addictive and harmful to the human brain, especially when used by adolescents. In states that have already legalized the drug, there has been an increase in drugged driving crashes and youth marijuana use. These states have seen a black market that continues to thrive, sustained marijuana arrest rates, and a consistent rise in alcohol sales.
###
About SAM
Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) is a nonpartisan, non-profit alliance of physicians, policy makers, prevention workers, treatment and recovery professionals, scientists, and other concerned citizens opposed to marijuana legalization who want health and scientific evidence to guide marijuana policies. SAM has affiliates in more than 30 states. For more information about marijuana use and its effects, visit https://learnaboutsam.org.