General

A writer with Washington Post‘s online blog, Wonkblog, who has a history of pro-marijuana leaning articles, recently published a story called, “No, marijuana use doesn’t lower your IQ” The article goes on to question the association between marijuana and IQ based on findings from the ASLPAC study just released. We asked Dr. Madeline Meier, now […]

Nine cities in Colorado allow recreational marijuana sales, including the first and third largest cities by population (Denver and Aurora) and 23 cities prohibit or have moratoria on recreational sales.  However, using the 2010 census data and this map, about 1.1 million citizens live in cities where recreational sales are allowed whereas about 1.4 million live […]

Major National Poll Finds Support for Legalization Down 10% Since 2013 Public Religion Research Institute Poll, funded by the Ford Foundation and the Nathan Cummings Foundation, finds only 44% of Americans now support legalization, down from 51% in 2013. Opposition at 50%. WASHINGTON- Coming off of a Suffolk University/USA Today poll finding only 46% of […]

Colorado Voters Turning Against Marijuana Legalization Suffolk University/USA Today poll finds support for legalization plummets 17% among Colorado voters DENVER– In the first indication of a backlash brewing in Colorado against legal pot, a Suffolk University/USA Today poll finds that now only 46% of likely voters support Amendment 64, the constitutional amendment legalizing and commercializing […]

Suffolk University/USA Today poll finds support for legalization plummets 17% among Colorado voters DENVER– In the first indication of a backlash brewing in Colorado against legal pot, a Suffolk University/USA Today poll finds that now only 46% of likely voters support Amendment 64, the constitutional amendment legalizing and commercializing marijuana. 50% of likely voters oppose […]

This past week, the annual HHS National Survey on Drug Use and Health 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 reported […]

Job Title: Internship Start: Rolling Length and Commitment: Negotiable Compensation: Negotiable About Policy Solutions Lab (PSL): PSL is a public policy consulting firm which focuses primarily on illicit drug policy in the United States. PSL’s clients include nation-wide anti-drug coalitions, United Nations agencies and other international organizations, and government agencies. Project SAM (www.learnaboutsam.org) is a nonpartisan […]

The Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area has been dedicated to tracking the impact of marijuana legalization in Colorado — and the findings aren’t pretty.

“Green Crack” marijuana can treat depression, PTSD, Bipolar Disorder, and ADHD according to The Denver Post’s marijuana website, The Cannabist. Green Crack marijuana is just one of more than 90 marijuana strains listed with medical recommendations for treating mental health issues that are provided by Lealfy, the same company that became the New York Times’ […]

SAM Co-Founder Patrick Kennedy asks President Barack Obama to round up federal agencies and shine spotlight on mental, physical harms of marijuana.

Dr. Christian Thurstone, a member of SAM’s board of directors, gives several reasons why children with severe epilepsy should avoid the CBD oil product known as “Charlotte’s Web.”

ALBANY–  The New York Affiliate of Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana), a nonpartisan alliance of lawmakers, scientists and other concerned citizens, coordinated by Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD) and chaired nationally by former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, expressed concern today that the New York State […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Justice Department’s support for a reduction in sentences for nonviolent drug offenders is a step in the right direction — and one that shows marijuana legalization is unnecessary to reform any problematic drug laws, says Smart Approaches to Marijuana (Project SAM), a national, volunteer nonprofit co-founded by former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy.

New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd ate a marijuana edible in Denver, and we hope you’ll read her full report about the experience.

ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York affiliate of Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) and a nonpartisan alliance of lawmakers, scientists and other concerned citizens coordinated by Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD) and chaired nationally by former U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, applaud today the State […]

DENVER — Five months after Colorado became the first state to allow recreational marijuana sales, the battle over legalization is still raging. Law enforcement officers in Colorado and neighboring states, emergency room doctors and legalization opponents increasingly are highlighting a series of recent problems as cautionary lessons for other states flirting with loosening marijuana laws.

Click here to read our factsheet and background document on the Rohrabacher Amendment.

The State of Georgia and GW Pharmaceuticals have forged an unprecedented agreement that is a smart, compassionate way to ensure children with intractable epilepsy receive a new medication based on a non-intoxicating component of cannabis.

There is no debate: marijuana is addictive and harmful to brain development, and current trends showing increased use among adolescents are profoundly troubling, Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told thousands of people gathered last week in Washington, D.C., for an annual meeting of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, […]

Of the 2.4 million Americans who try marijuana for the first time each year, 58 percent are under the age of 18. That’s why when we’re debating drug policy and the impact of marijuana on society, we cannot ignore kids. Because the brain isn’t fully formed until about the age of 25, youth are especially […]

A statement issued by the University of Colorado School of Medicine: AURORA, Colo. (May 15, 2014) – The proportion of marijuana-positive drivers involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes in Colorado has increased dramatically since the commercialization of medical marijuana in the middle of 2009, according to a study by University of Colorado School of Medicine […]

The world of marijuana is changing. And that means the world of marijuana-related news stories is also changing. With two states having legalized the drug, there is certainly a lot to write and talk about.

SAM’s Chairman, Patrick Kennedy, speaks to Global News BC1 in Vancouver about the dangers of marijuana use and legalization.