General

As Boston magazine reports, the official medical marijuana regulations crafted by the Department of Public Health aren’t even fully in effect, and already, activists are planting the seed for the next step in the pot saga — full legalization of the drug.

“While the current conversation in Vermont about marijuana is decriminalization, the legalization of marijuana is moving fast in parts of the United States, and it looks as though the domino effect could quickly move to other states such as Vermont,” said former U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy, Project SAM’s chairman.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin signed a bill that decriminalizes marijuana, making possession of less than an ounce of the drug punishable by a small fine rather than arrest and possible jail time. Under the new law, those under age 21 who are caught with marijuana will be required to undergo substance abuse screening.

SAM Co-founder Kevin Sabet, a former senior White House drug policy advisor, responds to The Washington Post’s publication of Doug Fine’s column, headlined: “Five Myths About Legalized Marijuana:” In recent years, The Washington Post has managed to strike a balance between pro- and anti-legalization opinion pieces (e.g. Rauch’s “Let’s Go Down the Aisle Toward Legalized […]

Legalization advocates have been crying foul since SAM Director Kevin Sabet quoted directly from a report by Seattle Schools saying that 39% of kids who used marijuana received their drug from a medical marijuana dispensary. It’s not so strange that some advocates responded that way – after all, the first bit of data released showed […]

An Organization of American States study is calling for a serious discussion about marijuana policy. The report, issued today, is a good first step, but should not be construed as an endorsement of marijuana legalization or policies outside United Nations drug control treaties, said two former top U.S. drug policy officials who served on the […]

At meeting with state legislators in Atlanta, Ga., today, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said the dichotomy of “punishment versus rehabilitation” oversimplifies the issue of marijuana legalization. He said he worries about legal marijuana being marketed to kids; presumes marijuana revenues will be outweighed by the costs of abuse; and favors arrests for users that […]

Click link to watch video: http://vp.telvue.com/preview?id=T01221&video=151884    

Today, Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) Director Kevin A. Sabet released a statement: “We applaud the President for definitively expressing that legalization is not the answer to our drug problems. President Obama’s drug strategy emphasizes a comprehensive approach to drug policy based on reducing the demand and supply for drugs in the United States. […]

Release: May 6, 2013 Today, Kevin A. Sabet, Director of Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) released this statement on the California Supreme Court decision specifying that cities and towns can ban medical marijuana “dispensaries”:   “It is universally accepted that California’s medical marijuana system is a sad joke. This unanimous decision by the California […]

Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) applauds Temple University’s Center for Substance Abuse Research (CSAR) for their discovery into the potential medical benefits of synthetic derivatives of marijuana for HIV/AIDS patients.

Federal and state attorneys general must take action to end marijuana standoff, promote public and mental health FOR RELEASE May 2, 2013 STATEMENT TO THE PRESS BY: Patrick J. Kennedy, on behalf of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (Project SAM) Lead Sponsor of Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act (D) Congressman Andy Harris, MD Medical Doctor, […]

(Washington, DC) – Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) held a briefing today at the House Rayburn building (room 2203) to discuss the link between marijuana and mental illness. They also presented almost 40,000 signatures to the House and Senate leadership in support of marijuana prevention and in opposition to marijuana legalization. “Science has revealed […]

“Mr Rohrbacher’s latest attempt to legalize marijuana will likely suffer the same fate as his several previous failed attempts have over the past decade. The Pew poll was just that — one poll. It reflects, more than anything, the lopsided discussion about legalization in this country. I’d like to know how how many of those […]

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has issued a strong statement regarding implementation of Amendment 64, the state constitutional amendment Colorado voters approved last year to legalize marijuana for recreational use.

Colorado voters didn’t exactly think through Amendment 64, the state constitutional amendment they approved last year to legalize recreational use of marijuana.

Listen to the Dr. Drew Podcast with Kevin Sabet using the link below: http://drdrew.com/036-kevin-sabet/

SAM Statement on Pew Poll on Marijuana Legalization: http://www.people-press.org/2013/04/04/majority-now-supports-legalizing-marijuana/ The survey’s results are an indication, more than anything, of the careless discussion about legalization currently going on in this country. That discussion is being funded with millions of dollars from those who will profit off of legalization – marijuana’s version of Big Tobacco – as […]

Monumental news! This just in: Despite the odds, SAM Hawaii defeated the de facto legalization (“decriminalization”) bill in the legislature that was destined to easily pass a month ago, just prior to SAM’s trip to the islands! Working with local community advocates and supportive legislators, SAM’s team, led by Patrick Kennedy and Kevin Sabet, held […]

HONOLULU — Opponents of decriminalizing marijuana in this state have a new partner — a prominent national figure who has made it a point to fight legislation through education. Patrick Kennedy is the co-chair of Project SAM — Smart Approaches to Marijuana, or SAM.

Denver journalist Christine Tatum, a friend to SAM, writes: “It’s troubling that every regulatory framework of marijuana Colorado is considering is outside the bounds of federal law — and that the one regulatory framework that stands to save more lives and public resources is the very one its lawmakers haven’t found the political will to […]

We at Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) commend the Idaho Senate State Affairs Committee for sending two anti-marijuana resolutions to the full state Senate with “do-pass recommendations.”

We appreciate your letters of support which — like this one that arrived today from Joyce Morris in Colorado — encourage and energize(!) our volunteers. We invite you to contact us — and to support SAM.

Kevin Sabet fields questions about marijuana legalization while also speaking with Ryan Grim, Washington, D.C., bureau chief of The Huffington Post. He also got a chance to speak about our organization — and to explain why Big Marijuana is girding to go the ways of Big Tobacco and Big Alcohol — unless more of us […]