General

Scott Gagnon: Marijuana legalization is the wrong way for Maine

Sun Journal Columns and Analysis: Marijuana legalization is the wrong way for Maine by Scott Gagnon As the Portland marijuana ordinance goes into effect, and the discussion has pivoted to statewide legalization in Maine, now is the time to examine what this policy path could mean for Maine. Many Mainers may think marijuana policy doesn’t […]

Marijuana Bill Rejected by ME Legislative Council, Project SAM Commends Legislators & Senate President

PRESS RELEASE                                                                                                                                                                                     Contact: Scott Gagnon November 21, 2013                                                       […]

AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION OPPOSES MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION; SUPPORTS HEALTH-FIRST APPROACH TO MARIJUANA USE

Largest medical group in the US explicitly rejects calls to become “neutral” on legalization; supports full funding of the Office of National Drug Control Policy; calls for proper study of Colorado and Washington policies. It joins the American Psychiatric Association, who issued a statement last week outlining the public health harms of marijuana. NATIONAL HARBOR, […]

Kennedy and Sabet in the NY Times Opinion Pages: Ill Effects of Marijuana

Ill Effects of Marijuana, New York Times October 29, 2013 To the Editor: By focusing on changes in California marijuana use since 1996, and then citing a controversial study called into question by some leading think tanks and experts in marijuana policy, “Few Problems With Cannabis for California” (front page, Oct. 27) does not reflect […]

Economist Debates: Should cannabis be legal everywhere?

Kevin Sabet’s featured guest piece on the Economist debate: The argument in favour of legalisation has been incredibly oversimplified by its proponents, presented as a silver bullet to failed, heavy-handed law enforcement efforts. As I argue in my new book, “Reefer Sanity: Seven Great Myths About Marijuana“, neither incarceration only nor legalisation stands up to […]

SAM’s Kevin Sabet on NPR’s “Florida Matters”

Should medical marijuana be legalized in Florida? Listen here

SAM’s Kevin Sabet on Channel 4 News in the UK

Watch: “Drug Trials: Austrian Testers Tested” As six people are taken ill in England, allegedly due to batch of drugs, Cordelia Lynch visits a scheme in Austria where officials test drugs for clubbers to determine their safety. Followed by a debate by Dr Tim Williams and Kevin Sabet.  

CNN Opinion: Legalized pot would mean more addiction

SAM’s, Dr. Kevin Sabet’s op-ed on the front page of cnn.com “Legalized pot would mean more addiction“

Pot: Alaska, Oregon may vote to inhale next year

Pot: Alaska, Oregon may vote to inhale next year

Dr. Kevin Sabet Before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee

“Conflict Between State and Federal Laws” Written testimony and biography

Press Release: Major Organizations Press DOJ on New Marijuana Guidelines

As New National Survey Reveals Skyrocketing Marijuana Use, Major Prevention, Treatment, Recovery, and Criminal Justice Reform Organizations Press Department of Justice on New Marijuana Guidelines On the day that the National Survey on Drug Use and Health revealed a 50% increase in daily marijuana use, an unprecedented group of organizations write to the Department of […]

Letter to the US Department of Justice regarding its decision to defer enforcement of CSA

Signed by an unprecedented group of individuals and organizations Letter to DOJ

SAM Releases statement about new DOJ “Trust But Verify” Approach to CO and WA Marijuana Legalization

  SAM says to “prepare the floodgates” for negative consequences as a result of a new Big Marijuana industry being emboldened; calls for the CDC, Surgeon General, National Institutes of Health to fund public health monitoring systems August 29, 2013 – Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana), a national alliance calling for smart marijuana policies […]

Legalization of marijuana could increase marijuana use almost 40% versus current rates among those aged 18 and older, and in the 18-25 year old age group in Colorado

Legalization of marijuana could increase marijuana use almost 40% versus current rates among those aged 18 and older, and in the 18-25 year old age group in Colorado   (Denver, CO) – August 22 2013 – According to the newly release Quinnipiac poll asking Colorado voters 18 and older if they would smoke marijuana in […]

Why worry about lead, but not weed?

If we, as a nation, were so concerned about lead exposure that we worked hard to remove it from gasoline, paint and air, what should be our collective response to marijuana given everything responsible science already knows about that drug?

Project SAM Urges Caution Regarding Gov. Christie’s Ruling on Marijuana as Medicine for Children

Project SAM Urges Caution Regarding Gov. Christie’s Ruling on Marijuana as Medicine for Children Alliance of top health professionals in the US calls upon FDA to resolve state-federal stalemate on marijuana for medical purposes, and urges New Jersey officials to ensure safeguards in place for proposed program August 17, 2013 – Project SAM (Smart Approaches […]

Should Marijuana Be Rescheduled?

Should Marijuana Be Rescheduled? By Kevin Sabet, The Huffington Post Thanks to legalization advocates, an issue mostly confined to scholarly and legal debates — that of the scheduling of drugs as laid out in the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) — has recently gained prominence. I address this at length in a recent Law Review article […]

AG Holder Endorses Most of SAM’s Recommendations for Drug Offenders, Announces Support for Alternatives to Incarceration Like Re-Entry, Justice Reinvestment, Treatment

At a speech in front of the American Bar Association, Attorney General Holder introduces support for “Smart On Crime” initiatives that do not rely on incarceration – or legalization – to beat back drug-related crime. August 12, 2013 – Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana), a national alliance calling for smart marijuana policies grounded in […]

Statement on Sanjay Gupta and CNN coverage of marijuana

Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana), an alliance of organizations and individuals, including medical professionals from Harvard Medical School, Children’s Hospital Boston, University of Colorado, University of Kansas, the American Society of Addiction Medicine, and leaders from other major public health groups, released a statement, through SAM Director Dr. Kevin Sabet, about CNN’s Sanjay Gupta’s […]

Kennedy rails against new medical marijuana law

Kennedy rails against new medical marijuana law By K.C. Myers, Cape Cod Times WEST BARNSTABLE — It doesn’t take a National Institutes of Health study to realize more marijuana in the marketplace, combined with the profit motive, will lead to more addiction, former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy said at a presentation Friday at Cape Cod […]

Colorado Fails to Regulate Marijuana – and Colorado Springs Decides Not to Take Their Chances With Legalization At All

Colorado Fails to Regulate Marijuana – and Colorado Springs Decides Not to Take Their Chances With Legalization At All By Kevin Sabet, The Huffington Post Though voters in Colorado and Washington officially legalized marijuana in November, most of us have known for a while that marijuana has enjoyed de facto legalization status in a few […]