General

According to a story in today’s Springfield Journal Register, Illinois’ senior Senator Dick Durbin urged caution to state legislators looking to legalize recreational marijuana in his home state. “Senator Durbin is right, Illinois needs to slow down and think through their plan to legalize recreational pot.  Every state that has legalized has seen unintended consequences […]

Today, an audit conducted by the Oregon Secretary of State found that the recreational marijuana market has failed to stay up to date on mandated inspections, its testing system continues to allow exposure to harmful contaminants, and regulators of the industry have done next to nothing to stop legal marijuana from fueling the black market. […]

When state lawmakers consider legalizing marijuana, one of the first arguments they make is that the legalization of the drug will bring in tax revenue. Missing from that argument is the reality that the legalization and commercialization of marijuana has real societal costs associated with it that cannot be overlooked. Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) […]

In a speech on Tuesday at the US Naval Academy, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg stated that “In 2017, 72,000 Americans OD’d on drugs. In 2018, more people than that have OD’d on drugs, and today, incidentally, we are trying to legalize another addictive narcotic (marijuana), which is perhaps the stupidest thing anybody […]

It’s official. Big Tobacco is continuing its efforts to monopolize the marijuana industry. Altria, one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of tobacco products, announced it is investing $12.8 billion in vaping giant, Juul, a company that controls 68% of the e-cigarette market. Here is why this is a big deal: The move came […]

Today, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), the leading non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to opposing marijuana legalization and holding Big Marijuana accountable, is proud to announce the unveiling of our new initiative, “The Money Trail: Where Big Pot Meets Big Politics,” that tracks marijuana industry donations to elected officials at the federal level. This initiative seeks […]

Today, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled his proposal to legalize marijuana in the state. In response, Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), Smart Approaches to Marijuana New York (SAM-NY) and a New York resident released the following statement: “Marijuana legalization would enrich Big Tobacco at the expense of the health […]

(Trenton, NJ) – Today, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy renewed his call to legalize marijuana in the Garden State. In response, Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) issued the following statement: “Last year, Governor Murphy promised to sign marijuana legalization into law within his first one hundred days in office. Today, […]

This week, the First Step Act, a comprehensive, bi-partisan criminal justice reform bill, was passed by the United States Senate by a vote of 87-12. This bill is an important bill, reforming our criminal justice system with an opportunity for treatment, recovery, redemption, and rehabilitation. SAM shares these goals, and they form the basis for […]

Public health and safety advocates, including Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and its state affiliates, are celebrating a year of victories against the growing marijuana industry as multiple marijuana legalization bills failed from coast-to-coast. (1) NORTH DAKOTA GAVE THE INDUSTRY THE BOOT – RESOUNDINGLY Healthy and Productive North Dakota, SAM’s affiliate in the Peace Garden […]

Today, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed the legalization of marijuana as a part of his legislative agenda for the upcoming year. In response, the leading statewide nonprofit opposed to the legalization of the drug, Smart Approaches to Marijuana New York (SAM-NY), released the following statement: “It is unfortunate that Governor Cuomo, who has a […]

Tenth grade marijuana use up 10% versus two years ago; vaping marijuana is up more than fifty percent among all age groups; edibles remain popular In the past few years, marijuana use is up significantly, by 10%, among 10th graders, and current vaping of marijuana is up 63% for eighth and tenth graders and 53% […]

Wednesday, former New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito announced an ill-advised proposal to use marijuana legalization in New York to fund improvements to the New York City subway. A coalition opposed to legalization in the state and city of New York, Smart Approaches to Marijuana New York (SAM-NY) reacted to the statement. “There is […]

Today, as a result of the election on November 6th, the use of recreational marijuana is now legal in the state of Michigan. While the personal use of the drug will be legal for adults over the age of 21, retail stores will not be opening anytime soon as the state must first set guidelines […]

Legal States Use Rates Nearly 45% Higher Than Other States; Alcohol Use Also Up in Colorado (Alexandria, VA) – More young people are trying marijuana for the first time in Colorado, the first state to allow recreational marijuana, than anywhere else in the nation, according to the nation’s most authoritative study on drugs, conducted by […]

(Denver, CO) – Today, a new study on the impact of marijuana legalization in Colorado conducted by the Centennial Institute found that for every one dollar in tax revenue from marijuana, the state spends $4.50 as a result of the effects of the consequences of legalization. This study used all available data from the state […]

North Dakota Rejects Legalization; Michigan Passes It, But Opposition Vows Local and Legal Battles After a hotly contested year of campaigning, Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) and its affiliates went one for one in ballot initiatives. In North Dakota, voters overwhelmingly defeated legalization, while in Michigan, a late surge of funds from Big […]

Today, a group of new supporters gathered in Detroit in opposition to Proposition 18-1. This group includes: Reverend Horace Sheffield, Detroit Association of Black Organizations Yvette McElory Anderson, Field Director, Fannie Lou Hamer PAC Reverend Dr. Wendell Anthony, President, Detroit Branch NAACP Kamilia Landrum, Deputy Director, Detroit Branch NAACP Bishop Corletta Vaughn Dr. Kevin Sabet, […]

Today, despite international treaties outlawing the legal sales of marijuana, Canada became the largest sponsor of marijuana in the world, legalizing the commercial sales of the drug. In response, concerned citizens, activists, and public health experts gathered in Vancouver to announce the launch of a watchdog group dedicated to counting the costs of marijuana commercialization […]

US Attorney for Colorado, Bob Troyer, signaled potential prosecution of “state legal” marijuana operations and their investors in an op-ed written last Friday in the Denver Post. The piece signaled a new approach to reigning in Big Marijuana in states that have legalized. In the editorial, Troyer stated that his office would begin taking legal […]

(Alexandria, VA) – SAM today applauded the rescheduling of Epidiolex, an FDA-approved medication derived from the marijuana plant that contains 99.9% pure cannabidiol (CBD).   The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) published a notice in the Federal Register that moves FDA-approved drugs that contain CBD derived from marijuana and no more than 0.1 percent tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) from […]

Yesterday, Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a bill that would have allowed marijuana operations in the state to deduct business expenses from their state taxes, effectively allowing them greater movement to to advertise, promote, and commercialize their products. Smart Approaches to Marijuana founder and president, Dr. Kevin Sabet, released the following statement: “Governor Brown did the […]

There are now twice as many daily or near daily marijuana users in the US than just a decade ago, according to the most comprehensive survey on drug use released today by the federal government. There are also now 8,300 new marijuana users each day, and 22% of 18 to 25 year olds are currently […]

Today, a new Colorado report compiled by the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area finds marijuana-positive traffic fatalities, hospitalizations, marijuana use, and illegal market activity have increased since marijuana legalization. “We should pump the brakes on marijuana legalization, slow down, and consider these implications before opening the door for the next Big Tobacco,” said […]