General

Today, the first-ever regulatory overhaul of Colorado’s federally illegal marijuana industry was introduced as a bill in the Colorado State Assembly. The bill seeks to implement much-needed public health guardrails and promote public health, reigning in a marijuana industry that has been allowed to run free. The bill, being led by House Speaker Alec Garnett […]

Urges Senators to Heed the Guidance of Public Health & Safety Experts on the Potential Harms Associated with Federal Marijuana Legalization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) recently announced the launch of advertisements targeted toward United States Senators who have recently expressed their reluctance to support an effort being led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer […]

An explosive study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics and conducted by prominent researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, found that teenage marijuana users (aged 12-17) have double the prevalence of a use disorder (addiction) than nicotine, alcohol, and, in most categories of […]

A bill legalizing marijuana and establishing a commercial market for the substance was passed by the New Mexico State Legislature after a special session dedicated to passing the bill was called by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) released the following statement in response: “The result of […]

Both houses of the New York State legislature approved a standalone bill to legalize marijuana and establish a commercial market for its sale. The bill now heads to the desk of Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has promised to sign it into law. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and its New […]

A new study found that secondhand marijuana smoke could be more hazardous to one’s health than secondhand smoke from cigarettes. The study compared emissions of fine particles, or particulate matter (PM 2.5) from tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke and found that the PM 2.5 emission rate of pre-rolled marijuana joints was 3.5 times higher than […]

The so-called “SAFE Banking Act,” a bill that would grant the marijuana industry access to the federal banking system and open the doors to Wall Street investment, was introduced in the United States House of Representatives. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a former senior drug policy advisor to the […]

Both houses of the Virginia Legislature agreed to a finalized version of the bill to commercialize marijuana in the commonwealth. If this bill is to be signed into law, Virginia will become only the third state in the nation to commercialize marijuana via the legislative process. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana […]

On his 1,133rd day in office, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill to implement marijuana commercialization into law. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and its New Jersey affiliate, New Jersey Responsible Approaches to Marijuana Policy (NJ-RAMP), released the following statement in response: “We’ve fought against an extremely well-funded […]

Smart Approaches to Marijuana New York (SAM New York) President & Co-Founder Dr. Kevin Sabet testified in opposition to a proposal to legalize and commercialize marijuana through the New York State Budget as part of a Joint Legislative Public Hearing. In his testimony, Dr. Sabet laid out why the proposal to legalize marijuana should be […]

A coalition of experts on drug policy, medical professionals, prevention workers, law enforcement, and education advocates held a virtual press conference outlining their opposition to the effort to legalize marijuana in NYS. Click here to view a recording of the press conference. Quotes from Speakers: Dr. Kevin Sabet, author of Smokescreen, president of Smart Approaches […]

A comprehensive report compiled by the United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control outlined the latest research on marijuana use and mental health and highlighted issues related to the explosive growth in THC potency and marijuana-impaired driving. “It’s refreshing to see a committee of the United States Senate recognize the reality that both today’s […]

According to a new study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, youth who live in California may be more likely to use marijuana since the implementation of marijuana legalization in 2016. The study looked at data from more than three million 7th, 9th, and 11th graders and found significant increases in […]

Today, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) released their bi-annual “Monitoring Health Concerns Related to Marijuana in Colorado” report. The report finds there have been significant increases in past-month and daily or near-daily use among adults, marijuana-impaired driving, exposures in children under the age of five, and use of high potency forms […]

As a bill to commercialize marijuana is being moved swiftly through the Virginia legislature, the Virginia American Academy of Medical Ethics (AAME) is circulating a letter to lawmakers presenting the current state of the data on marijuana and urging them to slow the rush to legalize and commercialize the drug. “As physicians and Virginia State […]

By a vote a 14-7, the New Hampshire House Criminal Justice & Public Safety Committee voted to “retain” two bills to expand marijuana use in the state, effectively ending any chance at either bill passing this year. The move represents a multi-year trend of public health and safety advocates defeating the efforts of the marijuana […]

A coalition of Virginia substance abuse prevention professionals, health and safety advocates, and representatives of state law enforcement hosted a virtual press conference announcing the launch of their combined opposition to an effort to commercialize marijuana in this year’s legislative session. “The push to commercialize marijuana in Virginia is being presented as a move for […]

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled his proposed state budget, which featured a projection of $300 million in revenue from marijuana commercialization. In response, Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and its New York affiliate, SAM New York, released the following statement: “At this time, marijuana should be the furthest thing […]

A California judge just affirmed a ruling from last week stating marijuana companies in the state will no longer be able to advertise their products on billboards along interstate highways. Given the overwhelming amount of research that finds that exposure to marijuana advertising greatly increases the likelihood of youth marijuana use, this should be considered […]

Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), the nation’s leading organization opposed to the commercialization of marijuana, released a comprehensive roadmap for the Biden Administration centered on the President-Elect’s marijuana policy position and the platform of the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force. The release of the report coincides with today’s swearing-in of former White House Office of National […]

A systematic review of over 500 studies on marijuana use and military veterans published in the journal Clinical Psychology Review — the first of its kind — found that marijuana use among veterans was associated with primarily negative outcomes such as other substance abuse, mental health issues, and instances of self-harm/suicidality. The review stated that […]

State-level data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the most authoritative study on drug use conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA), found significant increases in youth marijuana use in several recently legalized marijuana states versus last year. At the same time, mental illness indicators worsened across the country […]

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont called upon the state to commercialize marijuana during his annual State of the State address. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a former senior drug policy advisor to the Obama Administration, released the following statement in response: “In the midst of an unprecedented respiratory pandemic and […]

As part of the rollout of his agenda for the year, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has renewed his call to commercialize marijuana. Dr. Kevin Sabet, former senior drug policy advisor to the Obama Administration and president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and its NYS affiliate, SAM New York, released the following statement in […]