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Washington State Releases New Numbers Showing Increase in THC-Related Impaired Driving Cases   Preliminary Data Released Today From Washington State Toxicologist   (SEATTLE, WA) – Today, the Washington State toxicologist released preliminary data from the first four months of 2015, Jan-April, showing that the percentage of total driving cases testing positive for THC jumped from 28% […]

Greens & Libertarians Join SAM, Manufacturers Association, Behavioral Health Authorities, and Hospitals To Oppose Amendment   (COLUMBUS, CA) – Ohioans Against Marijuana Monopolies, a diverse coalition of citizens, launched its campaign to defeat Issue 3, a proposed Constitutional amendment to create a marijuana monopoly.  The event was held at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. Issue 3 […]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx-iy45X0DQ&feature=youtu.be Kevin Sabet testifies before the United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control.

By Scott Gagnon, Published: June 29, 2015 Last week was a pretty epic week for America in terms of civil rights and healthcare.  But, if you were someone trying to push marijuana legalization in Maine, you had a pretty bad week. There was this new report which indicates most of the conditions for which medical marijuana has been approved […]

SAM President Kevin Sabet gives testimony before United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control (WASHINGTON, D.C.) — Along with other key leaders in drug policy and research, including NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow, FDA Deputy Director Doug Throckmorton, and DEA Deputy Assistant Administrator Joseph Rannazzisi, SAM President Dr. Kevin Sabet was invited to give oral and written testimony […]

Backwards Momentum for Marijuana Legalization as Maine House Overwhelmingly Rejects Legalization  In a sign of waning support, the Maine House votes 98-45 against legalizing marijuana.  The messages cautioning against marijuana commercialization appear to take hold as the coalition pushing for the rejection of marijuana legalization picks up 27 votes from the prior House vote in […]

SAM praises move it had endorsed weeks ago   (WASHINGTON, D.C.) — Today, SAM President Kevin A. Sabet released this statement after the White House decided to eliminate the 1999 Public Health Service (PHS) layer of research review as called for in SAM’s recent research brief: “Today’s action by the Administration is a step forward […]

New Study: “Medical Marijuana Laws Amplify Recreational Juvenile Marijuana Use”  Study also finds that alcohol consumption is a salient predictor of marijuana use   (WASHINGTON, D.C.) — A new study (PDF here) in press published in the International Journal of Drug Policy found that medical marijuana laws “amplify” youth marijuana use. The study, which utilized the largest national […]

A study published in Lancet Psychiatry this week found that medical marijuana states showed no increase in high school marijuana use after such laws were passed. The study did find that 10th and 12th grade use in Colorado increased significantly after medical marijuana. The study is notable because it examined 24 states, and the authors should be commended for looking at this critical […]

Denver is home to the most number of marijuana stores – and leads the state with 18.5% of adults as current users (DENVER, CO) – A new statewide study funded by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment found that 13.6% of Colorado adults are regular users of marijuana – almost double the rate […]

UNANIMOUS CO SUPREME COURT: EMPLOYERS DO NOT HAVE TO ACCOMMODATE MARIJUANA USE But challenges remain for employers (WASHINGTON DC) – Today, SAM President Kevin Sabet released a statement on the unanimous ruling of the Colorado Supreme Court establishing that employers do not have to accommodate state marijuana laws: “This is a victory for every community […]

By Alex Dobuzinskis, Published: May 28, 2015 at 10:05 AM A group opposed to pot legalization is unveiling proposals on Thursday for the U.S. government to ease restrictions on scientific research into marijuana’s potential as medicine, in a first step for an organization of its kind. The plan from Smart Approaches to Marijuana, which is co-founded by […]

SMART APPROACHES TO MARIJUANA (SAM) CALLS FOR MARIJUANA RESEARCH OVERHAUL Recommendations include eliminating the Public Health Service (PHS) committee review for marijuana research applications, initiating a compassionate use program, and expanding marijuana research sites (WASHINGTON DC)—Given the increasing interest and demand for research into marijuana’s therapeutic potential, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), a nonpartisan alliance […]

by Kevin Sabet, posted 05/03/ 2015 Botticelli on marijuana: “Just to be clear, this administration, this office, is opposed to legalization. From the time that I have been in this job, the time that I’ve been in Massachusetts, I’ve never been in favor of either medical marijuana or legalization….you can begin to see that the exact […]

By Jon Collins, Published: April 21, 2015 Police chiefs across the state are preparing for the launch of Minnesota’s medical marijuana program this summer. Minnesota passed one of the country’s most restrictive medical marijuana laws last year. It prohibits personally growing marijuana or smoking marijuana and can be prescribed for less than a dozen conditions. Kevin […]

By Scott Gagnon, Published: April 10, 2015 Hello and welcome to the first proper blog entry on Smart Approaches to Public Health. It is a happy coincidence that the unveiling and launch of this blog was on the same day as another important unveiling. Today, Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) released a video entitled “Big Tobacco 2.0.” The […]

Today, SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) President Dr. Kevin A. Sabet released a statement on the CNN special, Weed 3: “Of course, we have to study marijuana to examine its medical potential. The goal, according to the Institute of Medicine, should be to develop non-smoked medications based on marijuana’s components for specific medical conditions. As […]

By Kevin A. Sabet, Ph.D., Published: April 16, 2015 at 8:29 AM With presidential campaign politics upon us, it’s hard to find areas of agreement among key leaders. But there seems to be one issue that even President Obama, Governor Chris Christie, and a Northern California, Obama-appointed judge can all agree on: marijuana legalization is a […]

Deputy Director, Federal and State Affairs   A position dependent on year-to-year funding Full time (40 hours per week) Or Part Time (20-30 hours/week) Starting salary range: Range, up to $50,000 Location: Home Office, in Washington DC Open until filled   SUMMARY This announcement is for a full or part time deputy director position This […]

By Ricardo Baca, Published: April 10, 2015 at 4:25 PM Anti-legalization group Project SAM released a new video this week comparing marijuana’s recent rise to that of tobacco’s past ascents. The group released the video, above, in conjunction with theNational Rx Abuse Summit and the affiliated SAM Marijuana Education Summit. “I hope people realize that marijuana legalization is all about […]

This past week, the annual HHS National Survey on Drug Use and Health (PDF) was released. This report asks people in households about their drug use. It focuses on the age group of 12 and over, and breaks down categories among people ages 12-to-17, 18-to-25 and 26 and older. The Washington Post and other sources […]

SAM co-founder Kevin Sabet has penned an opinion piece for NYTimes.com: In this age of endless smoking bans, Americans have forced Joe Camel into retirement, relegating his candy cigarettes, sports sponsorships and false health claims to the history books. Even still, almost a quarter of Americans smoke monthly, killing more than 400,000 people a year. […]

SAM Director Kevin Sabet explains many of the dynamics figuring into the debate about marijuana legalization.