General

Today, a bill to legalize marijuana and establish a commercial market for the drug failed to garner enough votes for passage in the New Mexico Senate Judiciary Committee. This tremendous victory for public health follows a year-long push by the marijuana industry to pass a bill largely written by the industry and its investors. A […]

According to a new poll conducted by Emerson College, 70 percent of Vermont voters do not support the commercialization and taxation of marijuana. This poll’s importance is significant to state lawmakers as the marijuana industry has renewed its annual push to expand into the state, which allows for possession of the drug, but has no […]

A comprehensive report released by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) finds that the illicit marijuana market is increasing in states that have “legalized” the substance; growing operations—that often occur on public lands—present a significant draw on resources and a dramatic threat to local environments; and criminal organizations are using revenue from marijuana production […]

Daily marijuana use and marijuana vaping has significantly increased in the last year according to new data from the largest, most comprehensive drug use survey of students in the United States. The 2019 Monitoring the Future survey, compiled by researchers at the University of Michigan and funded by the National Institutes of Health, is the […]

A broad coalition of national and state policy groups sent a letter to United States Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) expressing their concerns with the SAFE Banking Act and thanking Senator Crapo for slowing down what seemed at first to be a rushed process to grant the marijuana industry access to the federal banking system. “In […]

Today, a new study released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found the percentage of drivers in Washington State involved in fatal car crashes testing positive for marijuana has doubled since the state “legalized” marijuana for recreational use in 2012. “Marijuana-impaired driving is rising across all states that have ‘legalized’ marijuana and this study […]

A coalition of public health and safety groups, business coalitions, and representatives of New Mexico state law enforcement gathered in the Capitol Rotunda to host a press conference urging lawmakers to oppose the passage of any legislation legalizing and commercializing recreational marijuana. “As a Coloradan, I can speak firsthand as to the results of marijuana […]

A group of concerned New Yorkers gathered in front of NYS Senator Pete Harckham’s District Office to host a press conference urging Senator Harckham to join the majority of public health and safety organizations in NYS and oppose the passage of any bill creating a commercial marijuana industry in New York. This gathering, led by […]

Representatives from public health and law enforcement groups gathered at the Virginia General Assembly Building in Richmond to host a press conference urging lawmakers to oppose the passage of any legislation legalizing and commercializing recreational marijuana in the Commonwealth of Virginia. “Marijuana legalization efforts and the rhetoric surrounding them send a dangerous message to the […]

A poll conducted by Emerson College found 63% of New Mexico voters are opposed to the full legalization of marijuana when given a full spectrum of policy options. Additionally, the poll found that when voters learn that the marijuana industry features large investments from Big Tobacco and alcohol conglomerates and that legalized states have experienced […]

Today, in a massive release of data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), it has been confirmed that out of 809 patients reporting data on the source of the marijuana products use prior to becoming sick, 131 reported purchasing products exclusively from commercial sources. What’s more, 627 reported products from “informal sources” such as […]

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo presented his annual State of the State Address in Albany. In his address, the governor repeated his call from last year to pass a bill legalizing the commercial sale of marijuana. The legislature failed to pass a bill accomplishing this last year due to the efforts of Smart Approaches to […]

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), finds that marijuana use in “legal” states among youth, young adults, and the general population continued its multi-year upward trend in several categories. Additionally, use rates in […]

Today, a government funding bill was stripped of numerous pro-marijuana industry amendments that would grant the industry access to the US financial system, allow Washington D.C. to institute a commercial marijuana market, and prevent enforcement of federal law and even basic federal oversight in states that have “legalized” the substance. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of […]

Today, a coalition of concerned New Jersey policy groups, substance abuse workers, social justice advocates, and representatives of law enforcement gathered at the New Jersey State House to host a press conference calling on lawmakers to oppose placing marijuana legalization on the 2020 ballot. “The pot advocates here in Trenton are desperate to institute their […]

On Wednesday, December 11, 2019, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring will host a “cannabis summit” featuring panels of experts on recreational marijuana legalization. Next year, the Virginia Legislature is anticipating legislation to remove criminal penalties for simple marijuana possession, but not legalize marijuana for commercial sale. According to AG Herring’s office, medical, substance abuse, and […]

Following the submission of a Massachusetts Public Records Law request by Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), Massachusetts health officials confirmed that six patients in the state suffering from the vaping illness now referred to as EVALI reported using products from regulated “legal” dispensaries in the state. This follows initial reporting by The Boston Globe that […]

National marijuana policy group Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) participated in an end-of-year Holiday Hill Day, bringing concerned parents, substance abuse and prevention professionals, and others to the United States Capitol to meet with lawmakers to discuss the potential harms of rewarding the marijuana industry by passing legislation such as the SAFE Banking Act and […]

The New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee voted to send a House-passed marijuana legalization to “interim study,” effectively killing the bill for the upcoming 2020 legislative session. The vote was unanimous. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) and its New Hampshire Affiliate, SAM NH, released the following statement in response: […]

On December 1st, the legal sale of recreational marijuana begins in Michigan. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action), and its Michigan affiliate Healthy and Productive Michigan – that fought the ballot campaign and has led local level opt-out initiatives – released the following statement in advance: “Today is a […]

The United States House Judiciary Committee held a vote on the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, a bill to federally legalize, commercialize, and tax the use of marijuana. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana and a former senior drug policy advisor to the Obama Administration, released the following statement ahead […]

According to reporting from Politico, an attempt to pass a bill legalizing marijuana during the ‘lame duck’ session has failed to garner enough support. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) and its New Jersey affiliate, New Jersey Responsible Approaches to Marijuana Policy (NJ-RAMP) released the following statement in response: […]

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced on Friday that federal monies doled out by the health agency would no longer flow to individuals or organizations that use, prescribe, or provide marijuana for the treatment of opioid use disorder and mental health issues. Furthermore, SAMHSA Director Elinore McCance-Katz stated that treatment programs […]

On December 1st, the legal sale of recreational marijuana is slated to begin in Michigan. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action), and its Michigan affiliate Healthy and Productive Michigan – that fought the ballot campaign and has led local level opt-out initiatives – released the following statement in advance: […]