SAM Staff

(HELENA, MT) – 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 Montana:  “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 […]

(DENVER, CO) – 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 Colorado:  “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 […]

(Washington, D.C.) – New data released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) in its 2023 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) report shows that marijuana is now second in frequency for emergency department (ED) visits, only after alcohol. The report further finds that there were more instances of marijuana ED visits in 2023 than […]

As the addiction industry and its pro-drug allies continue to spend big on commercial pot and THC drugs, the annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) Survey conducted by the University of Michigan and funded by the National Institutes of Health, shows that young people across the nation are starting to heed warnings the dangers by increasingly abstaining. However, […]

(WASHINGTON, DC) – This weekend, the House and Senate jointly agreed to cut a controversial provision prohibiting marijuana testing for military recruits out of the National Defense Authorization Act. After the House included the ban, led by former Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) worked to neutralize the language in the […]

On Nov. 5, voters in red and blue states alike delivered historic election results and rightfully rejected marijuana and psychedelic legalization ballot measures. In Florida, legalization was defeated by 4 points despite pro-marijuana groups investing over $150 million in the race. North Dakotans refused legalization by 5 points, giving addiction to marijuana its third loss in a […]

Over the last four years, as street fentanyl overdose deaths surged, the Biden administration scrambled to fund addiction treatment programs and expand use of opioid-treatment medications like buprenorphine and naloxone. There are signs those efforts may be helping, with fatal overdoses dropping 14.5% over the last year. But during the campaign that led to President-elect Donald Trump’s […]

As the federal government considers loosening restrictions on marijuana, the Drug Enforcement Administration is scheduled to convene a court hearing to flesh out the Biden administration’s historic policy shift. But cannabis-reform advocates this week asked a judge to remove the DEA from its own hearing, arguing the agency has improperly communicated with antimarijuana groups in […]

A big loser that emerged from the election results has flown under the radar: Drugs, marijuana in particular, lost big. Florida voters rejected the corporate-drafted Amendment 3, which would have legalized nonmedical marijuana. Both North Dakota and South Dakota defeated marijuana legalization for the third straight cycle. Voters in Massachusetts rejected the legalization of psychedelics, the […]

Voters across the nation last week dealt a decisive blow to the reckless movement to legalize and normalize drugs. In blue and red states, voters rejected these industry-backed proposals, favoring policies that prioritize public health and safety. The mandate is clear: To treat the drug crisis, we should invest in prevention and increase access to treatment, not increase access to […]

Kamala Harris’s decisive loss may have grabbed the headlines, but there was another big loser in this election: drugs. In Florida, voters failed to approve a constitutional amendment that would have legalized recreational marijuana, defying both expectations and the endorsement of president-elect Donald Trump. Voters in South and North Dakota defeated legal weed initiatives, too, […]

NBC 6 Miami spoke with Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, about voters’ rejection of Florida’s Amendment 3. WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo6GFSoWIxM

“Voters by wide margins rejected the legalization of drugs like marijuana and psychedelics from red Florida to blue Massachusetts,” Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions and Smart Approaches to Marijuana President Kevin Sabet said in a statement on the elections. “We expect this Administration to listen to this message loud and clear: More drugs are not […]

Read the entire article HERE.

More than half of Florida voters approved of Amendment 3, but it did not reach the required 60 percent threshold to pass. “Floridians have taken a firm stance against the dangerous drugs the pot profiteers tried to convince the public are harmless,” Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, which opposes marijuana legalization. Read […]

Massachusetts could become the third state to legalize psychedelic mushrooms, after Oregon and Colorado, if voters approve a ballot measure known as Question 4. Supporters, who have raised more than $7 million to support the initiative, have said it would give psychiatric patients more treatment options, in regulated settings with trained facilitators. Read the entire […]

Florida Recreational Marijuana Amendment Questions No on 3 – Jaime Zerbe – Smart Approaches to Marijuana Listen to the entire segment HERE.

With Florida’s recreational pot proposal, Amendment 3, polling at over 60%, we explore the pro and cons of legalizing marijuana with people representing all sides of the debate. Guests: Listen to the conversation HERE.

If it seems as if there has been an effort in Nebraska to legalize marijuana use for medicinal purposes at one election after another, it’s because supporters of the efforts have been persistent. The Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana organization has been pushing to get the issue on the ballot for years. In 2020, for example, […]

Read the article HERE.

Voters will not have the chance after all to vote on an amendment that would have expanded the state medical marijuana program, thanks to an Arkansas Supreme Court ruling Monday that disqualified the measure. Read the entire article HERE.

(LITTLE ROCK, AR) – In a tremendous victory for public health and safety, the Arkansas State Supreme Court today ruled in favor of Protect Arkansas Kids’ legal challenge to the state’s marijuana legalization ballot initiative.  In a 4-3 ruling, the Court declared the ballot title for the proposed constitutional amendment with the popular name “Medical […]

(WASHINGTON, DC) – The largest drug prevention group in the country, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), honored drug policy expert Dr. Kevin Sabet and the national public health policy organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) with the Raiko Mendoza Pagliarello Champion for Drug Free Kids during its 26th annual “Drug-Free Kids Campaign Awards Dinner.” SAM, which was co-founded […]

Florida’s Catholic bishops are urging residents to vote no on a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana in the Sunshine State as activists on both sides continue to funnel millions of dollars into the record-breaking campaign. Amendment 3, which would legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and older, is the most expensive […]