General

OHIO VOTERS REJECT  MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION Voters decide against legalizing marijuana in key 2016 swing state;  opponents win despite being outspent by more than 15:1 COLUMBUS, OH – Ohio voters have rejected the legalization of marijuana in their state, sending a strong message from a key swing state to 2016 Presidential candidates and to the rest […]

SAM presidential scorecard updated SAM UPDATES PRESIDENTIAL SCORECARD AFTER SANDERS’ COMMENTS AND REPUBLICAN DEBATE   Candidates evaluated on three criteria, including support for treatment and prevention for users as alternatives to incarceration, a true medical marijuana program based on scientific research, and opposition to legalized and commercialized marijuana for recreational use WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today […]

PRESS STATEMENT                                                    Today, SAM President Kevin Sabet made the following statement on HR 3561, introduced by Rep. Earl Blumenauer: “While we disagree with Rep. Blumenauer’s attempts to legalize marijuana and legitimize a […]

Amid the headlines highlighting the Pope’s stances on an array of hot button political issues like climate change, immigration, poverty, the death penalty and capitalism, we would like to highlight one of his positions that is perhaps less well-known – “Attempts, however limited, to legalize so-called ‘recreational drugs,’ are not only highly questionable from a […]

SENATOR RAND PAUL GETS IT WRONG;  JUSTICE SONIA SOTOMAYOR GETS IT RIGHT ON MARIJUANA POLICY   SAM will shortly release a questionnaire and report card for all candidates to gauge their respective positions on this issue, and propose an evidence-based policy proposal that helps, not hurts, Americans. During this week’s Republican presidential debate, several candidates […]

REPORT: MARIJUANA COMMERCIALIZATION FAILING IN COLORADO FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 15, 2015 Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (RMHIDTA) report shows significant increases in traffic fatalities, child poison control exposures, hospitalizations, youth use, amongst other alarming data, detailing how Colorado’s experiment with retail marijuana regulation is a public health and safety failure. DENVER, CO – […]

PRESS RELEASE    CORRECTED                                                                            Contact: Will Jones September 11, 2015                 […]

For “National Recovery Month”  the Keys to Recovery newspaper is featuring an article written by SAM President Dr. Sabet addressing  common myths about marijuana. You can read the article in its entirety here.  

Firm SmithJohnson Research released poll today finding that 51% of Coloradans would oppose Amendment 64 today. Survey finds Colorado’s marijuana legalization law does not do a good job to prevent children from using marijuana or keep our roads safe.   DENVER, CO- SmithJohnson Research, a polling firm who has worked with Democrats and Republicans, today […]

University of Florida Drug Policy Institute Joins Senior Researchers at Harvard, Boston Children’s Hospital, University of Texas, and Others in Responding to Latest Claims by the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy A team of researchers from the UF Drug Policy Institute, Harvard University, and other institutions authored a lengthy response to a recent monograph written by the […]

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 […]