(HARTFORD, CT) – Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM)and a three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement in advance of the anniversary of commercial marijuana sales in Connecticut:
“Trends across the nation have universally shown that sales of today’s high-potency marijuana and THC-infused drugs are resulting in more THC-related traffic crashes, more youth-use, more workplace accidents, a larger illicit market, and lower than expected tax revenue. For yet another year Connecticut has been no different. Lawmakers at the state and federal level – many of whom count pot profiteers among their donors – refuse to acknowledge the damage being done and have been resistant to advance policies that can save Connecticuters from physical, psychological and economic clutches of this predatory industry.
Since THC drug sales started in 2023, Connecticut has seen:
- Little fiscal benefit, with marijuana excise taxes accounting for only 0.39% of the state budget; and
- Greater risks on the roads, with one in five adult past month cannabis users reportingdriving within three hours of using [marijuana].”
“The last year has demonstrated again that states cannot effectively regulate this industry. Big Marijuana will stop at nothing to hook a new generation of users on increasingly potent pot products. Significant reforms are needed, including requiring clear warning labels that spell out the harms associated with these dangerous psychoactive drugs. Those labels should make clear to the public that THC drugs are increasingly medically associated with depression, suicidality, IQ loss, psychosis and schizophrenia, especially for young people. Lawmakers should also advance strict potency caps, enact bans on advertising that can be seen by those under 21, and invest greater resources in prevention and treatment programs to help those who are bearing the consequences of the state’s failed experiment with marijuana legalization.”