General

Luke Niforatos, executive vice president with the group Smart Approaches to Marijuana, says lawmakers made the right decision in banning the chemicals. “There’s very little regulation, if any, going on with these products. We don’t know what’s in them… some of the research has shown [products] to have heavy metals, pesticides,” Niforatos said. “So it’s […]

Lawmakers Knew the Risks to Public Health and Safety, Now They Bear Responsibility FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 31, 2023 Media Contact: Bob Driscollbob@learnaboutsam.org716-307-7406 (ST. PAUL, MN) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former Obama drug policy advisor, released the following statement in advance of marijuana and THC-infused drugs […]

“Over the last decade, the drive to legalize marijuana has been the subject of a significant public relations campaign. Throughout the country, the push to erase any stigma associated with marijuana has essentially become part of contemporary pop culture. In a vast effort to influence perceptions, musicians, actors, media personalities, and professional athletes have endorsed […]

“While lawmakers in Raleigh are divided over medical marijuana, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will vote later this summer whether to allow it for recreational use on tribal land.” Read the entire article, here.

“In states bucking the federal law banning marijuana, legalization has ushered in an unprecedented level of normalization and commercialization. There are now more daily users of THC products than daily users of alcohol, and usage among young adults is at the highest level ever. In the last 10 years, the number of marijuana users increased by more than […]

“This is why we don’t ram through legislation in a Special Session before anybody can spot problems with the bill because then we have stuff like this come out,” says Luke Niforatos, Vice-President of the advocacy group S.A.M. (Smart Approaches to Marijuana). “Your viewers should be very concerned about the fact that (the state is) not looking […]

Q&A: Anti-marijuana group explains opposition to NC bill “Many have been asking why we led the campaign that has so far deterred passage of N.C. Senate Bill 3, the bill that sought to legalize “medical marijuana.” The answer is simple: marijuana is not approved by the FDA “for the treatment of any disease or condition.” […]

“Over the last decade, the drive to legalize marijuana has been the subject of a significant public relations campaign. Throughout the country, the push to erase any stigma associated with marijuana has essentially become part of contemporary pop culture. In a vast effort to influence perceptions, musicians, actors, media personalities, and professional athletes have endorsed […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 13, 2023 Media Contact: Bob Driscollbob@learnaboutsam.org716-307-7406 Lawmakers Reject NDAA Amendments Allowing Use of THC Drugs by Military Recruits, Other Dangerous Proposals (WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton, released the following statement today in […]

Lawmakers See Through Medical Marijuana Ruse That is a Backdoor to Full Commercial THC Industry FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 7, 2023 Media Contact: Bob Driscoll bob@learnaboutsam.org716-307-7406 (RALEIGH, NC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana: North Carolina (SAM Action NC) released the following statement today praising North Carolina lawmakers as “medical marijuana” fails to advance in the current session of […]

(WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action)released the following statement today in response to Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz’s irrational proposal to solve military recruitment deficits by ending drug testing for THC, the psychoactive component extracted from marijuana.  “Use of THC drugs by military recruits has surged 33 percent in recent years and […]

Listen to Dr. Kevin Sabet’s commentary here.

Listen to the clip below.

Watch the entire news segment here.

June 29, 2023 National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA)  Board of Governors                        700 W Washington Street P.O. Box 7110 Indianapolis,  Indianapolis, IN 46202-6222 Dear NCAA, CSMAS, and Division I, II, and III Leaders and Administrators, It has come to the attention of the Parent Action Network, an affiliate of Smart Approaches to Marijuana focused on supporting […]

Just days after Minnesota lawmakers narrowly passed a bill to flood the state with the drug THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, addiction profiteers made their next move by advancing another bill to create a “Psychedelic Medicine Task Force,” with the clear goal of commercializing more drugs. It’s an increasingly familiar pattern of behavior in […]

Public Act 23-79 Requires Updated Health Warning Labels for Marijuana, Especially High-Potency THC-Laced Products FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 27, 2023 Media Contact: Bob Driscoll bob@learnaboutsam.org (HARTFORD, CT) – Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) and a former drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton, released the following statement in response to […]

Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni June 26 is International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (ROME, ITALY) – Gripped by an unprecedented drug crisis that is devastating families and fueling profits for drug cartels, Smart Approaches to Marijuana and the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) today called on political leaders around the world to advance public policies focused on evidence-based prevention, treatment, […]

“The consequences are sure to be devastating, just as they have been in other states that have tried this risky experiment,” added Sabet, who was previously a drug policy adviser to the Obama, Bush and Clinton administrations. “Today’s commercial marijuana products are associated with depression, suicidality, IQ loss and most recently psychosis and schizophrenia, especially […]

“Legalized drug crisis is harming young people far more than most realize” “The marijuana industry, which spent billions to lobby elected officials and bankroll legalization referendum campaigns, is following the playbook pioneered by Big Tobacco. They recognize that the road to big profits runs through the heaviest users. As such, they have increased potency of […]

(Washington, DC) — Today, President Joe Biden signed the groundbreaking, bipartisan Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act (H.R. 8454) into law. This marks the first time marijuana reform has been made into law in United States history. The President’s signing comes after the House of Representatives and Senate passed the legislation by a 325-90 […]

Official Release (Washington, DC) –– Today, the Biden Administration Department of Justice (DOJ) released a memo detailing their concerns about the SAFE Banking Act. Among the DOJ’s chief worries is that SAFE Banking could protect illegal criminal enterprises from being prosecuted for money laundering, a concern long expressed by Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM). These are the […]

(Alexandria, VA) — Earlier this month, a comprehensive study based on two national, large datasets by Temple University researchers showed that youth marijuana use increases after recreational legalization. The study will be published in the Addictive Behaviors journal in March 2023. The study found that, after legalization: Adolescent and young adult past-month cannabis use prevalence increased; Among adolescents and […]

In a statement released today, the Rosenthal Center for Addiction Studies shared that their founder and president, Dr. Mitchell “Mitch” Rosenthal, passed away peacefully on November 14. Dr. Rosenthal was a pioneer in the treatment of substance use disorders, having founded Phoenix House, the nation’s leading non-profit provider of treatment and recovery services. He also […]