General

Marijuana, Psychedelics, Other Drugs Fuel Suicide Rates Across the U.S. (WASHINGTON, DC) – As the nation gathers to spread a powerful reminder that nearly 50,000 Americans die by suicide annually, making it 11th leading cause of death, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) President and CEO Dr. Kevin Sabet is using National Suicide Prevention Week […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has signaled support for a potentially historic federal policy shift to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, putting his position in line with that of his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris. The commonality reflects a major shift toward broad public support for legalization in recent years and marks the first time that both major-party presidential […]

The former president suggests he wants to see marijuana reclassified as a Schedule III drug, the first time Trump has endorsed the easing of federal restrictions. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has expressed support for loosening federal restrictions on marijuana, aligning himself with the Biden administration’s ongoing efforts to do exactly that. In a social media post Sunday, Trump […]

The Monitoring the Future national survey results on substance use highlights the trend in the 30-day prevalence of daily marijuana use from 2013 to 2023:  From 2013 to 2023, there was a statistically significant increase in daily marijuana use for both age groups. The percentage that used marijuana daily for those aged 19-30 increased from […]

(WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton, released the following statement today in response to former President Donald Trump’s statement on Truth Social: “Trump’s endorsement of marijuana is confusing and hypocritical for a ‘law and order’ candidate who […]

According to the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, from 2018 to 2023, the number of marijuana poison control calls for children aged 5 and under increased by 2,300%:  This trend is being exacerbated by the emergence of child-friendly products and packaging. The marijuana industry is developing products that appeal to adolescents, such as […]

ATLANTA — An Atlanta-based parking company is under fire for a controversial promotion giving away free cannabis products. Channel 2 investigative reporter Ashli Lincoln got action from the company. ParkMobile sent out emails offering a gift card that could be used at several places. One of them is Five CBD, an online store that sells Delta […]

SAM Will Make The Case That Marijuana Must Remain in Schedule I (WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which is currently overseeing the Biden Administration’s proposal to reschedule of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act, announced there will be an administrative hearing on December 2, 2024, on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that was published […]

A recent poll, conducted by Gallup, found that there has been a shift in public opinion regarding marijuana. The first asked the question, “What effect do you think the use of marijuana has on most people who use it – very positive, somewhat positive, somewhat negative or very negative?” Gallup focused on several demographic subgroups […]

Listen to the entire radio segment here: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1248-dakota-mornings-143672613/episode/dakota-mornings-81324-9am-205933350/?cmp=ios_share&sc=ios_social_share&pr=false

The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) dashboard reported the number of treatment admissions for various drugs, including marijuana, by race from 2015 to 2022. New York Treatment Admissions for Marijuana by Race (2015-2022):  According to the 2020 Census, New York’s racial makeup was 52.50% White, 19.50% Hispanic, 14.80% Black, 9.60% […]

The 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) asked those who used marijuana about the ways in which they used it. While many readers likely know that the marijuana is often smoked, the NSDUH found that an alarming number of Americans also vape it.  Number of Past-Month & Past-Year Users Who Vaped Marijuana […]

Marketing Campaign Offers Drivers Free Psychoactive Drugs   (WASHINGTON, DC) – In one of the most bizarre and irresponsible marketing schemes in recent memory, a leading municipal parking payment processor is drawing fire for offering free THC-laced drugs for drivers who use their app.    Last month, ParkMobile sent customers a marketing email offering a free “gift.” […]

Despite Promises, Marijuana Legalization Will Not Be a Benefit to Ohio’s Communities (COLUMBUS, OH) –– As retail sales of commercially-produced marijuana and high-potency THC-infused drugs begin this week in Ohio, Dr. Kevin Sabet, President and CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton, released […]

This week, SAMHSA released the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which is the leading federal estimate of trends in drug, tobacco, and alcohol use. While there are many data points that will likely appear in future versions of the Friday Fact, today’s edition focuses on the number of monthly users of […]

Higher Usage Rates, Flood in Poison Control Calls Likely to Continue Following Full-Scale Marijuana Commercialization (ST. PAUL, MN) – As Minnesota reaches the one-year mark of full-scale commercial sales of pot and THC-infused drugs, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former three-time White House drug policy advisor, issued the following statement about the serious […]

More Than 15 Million Americans Are Using THC-Laced Drugs Daily (WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Clinton, and Bush, issued the following statement today in response to the release of the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) from the U.S. […]

The federal government is looking at rescheduling cannabis, meaning fewer restrictions for the plant and the industry. The proposal received thousands of comments and now experts are weighing in.  According to the DEA, the drugs currently are classified on a scale of one to five. President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, Dr. Kevin Sabet, said rescheduling […]

The scheduling of drugs is not a “harm index” or directly used to determine criminal penalties for drugs. Scheduling is not synonymous with the danger of a drug. Rather, it is a technical legal term that categorizes drugs according to their potential for abuse and accepted medical value.

A recent study in JAMA Internal Medicine, “Prenatal Cannabis Use and Maternal Pregnancy Outcomes,” assessed the degree to which prenatal marijuana use was associated with maternal health outcomes during pregnancy. The article used two types of sample groups for this study: pregnant women that used marijuana and pregnant women that did not use marijuana. Drawing […]

In the hours after President Joe Biden endorsed Kamala Harris to take his place atop the Democratic ticket in the 2024 presidential race, Americans began hastily searching for information about the vice president’s stance on various issues – including the legalization of marijuana. Harris’ position on weed has evolved over her years in public service, becoming more progressive as she […]

Comment Explains Rescheduling Is Out of Step With Past Reviews; Marijuana Still Fails to Meet “Currently Accepted Medical Use” Standards; Move Would Inflict Wide-Ranging Health and Mental Health Consequences (WASHINGTON, DC) – Calling it “the most significant rescheduling decision in the history of the Controlled Substances Act,” Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) filed its formal objection to the […]

From 2016 to 2023, Florida’s Poison Control Centers collected poison exposure data throughout the state, reported on a county level. This report focuses on all types of marijuana poison exposures statewide and in Florida’s six most populous counties. The types of marijuana poison exposures included edibles, dried plants, concentrated extracts, synthetic marijuana, and other or unknown […]

City submitted its official public comment as federal officials move toward rescheduling marijuana from schedule I to schedule III drug As the federal government takes steps toward rescheduling marijuana, Denver wants to make sure it’s part of the conversation. Before the federal government can reschedule marijuana, it must go through a lengthy rulemaking process, which […]