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(Washington, D.C.) – New data released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) in its 2023 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) report shows that marijuana is now second in frequency for emergency department (ED) visits, only after alcohol. The report further finds that there were more instances of marijuana ED visits in 2023 than […]

As the addiction industry and its pro-drug allies continue to spend big on commercial pot and THC drugs, the annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) Survey conducted by the University of Michigan and funded by the National Institutes of Health, shows that young people across the nation are starting to heed warnings the dangers by increasingly abstaining. However, […]

International Drug Policy Experts Share Warnings About the Dangers of Drug Legalization and Promote Good Policy in the African Continent (ARUSHA, TANZANIA) – As leaders from dozens of members countries convene at the African Union’s Continental Consultation on Drug Demand, international drug policy experts from Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) are […]

(WASHINGTON, DC) – This weekend, the House and Senate jointly agreed to cut a controversial provision prohibiting marijuana testing for military recruits out of the National Defense Authorization Act. After the House included the ban, led by former Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) worked to neutralize the language in the […]

Over the last four years, as street fentanyl overdose deaths surged, the Biden administration scrambled to fund addiction treatment programs and expand use of opioid-treatment medications like buprenorphine and naloxone. There are signs those efforts may be helping, with fatal overdoses dropping 14.5% over the last year. But during the campaign that led to President-elect Donald Trump’s […]

As the federal government considers loosening restrictions on marijuana, the Drug Enforcement Administration is scheduled to convene a court hearing to flesh out the Biden administration’s historic policy shift. But cannabis-reform advocates this week asked a judge to remove the DEA from its own hearing, arguing the agency has improperly communicated with antimarijuana groups in […]

A big loser that emerged from the election results has flown under the radar: Drugs, marijuana in particular, lost big. Florida voters rejected the corporate-drafted Amendment 3, which would have legalized nonmedical marijuana. Both North Dakota and South Dakota defeated marijuana legalization for the third straight cycle. Voters in Massachusetts rejected the legalization of psychedelics, the […]

A systematic review and meta-analysis published this month in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that the legalization of recreational marijuana is associated with increases in past-month marijuana use among adolescents and young adults. As opposed to lifetime or past-year use, past-month use is indicative of more frequent use. […]

Voters across the nation last week dealt a decisive blow to the reckless movement to legalize and normalize drugs. In blue and red states, voters rejected these industry-backed proposals, favoring policies that prioritize public health and safety. The mandate is clear: To treat the drug crisis, we should invest in prevention and increase access to treatment, not increase access to […]

Kamala Harris’s decisive loss may have grabbed the headlines, but there was another big loser in this election: drugs. In Florida, voters failed to approve a constitutional amendment that would have legalized recreational marijuana, defying both expectations and the endorsement of president-elect Donald Trump. Voters in South and North Dakota defeated legal weed initiatives, too, […]

NBC 6 Miami spoke with Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, about voters’ rejection of Florida’s Amendment 3. WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo6GFSoWIxM

November 5, 2024, marked an historic night for the movement to oppose the legalization and commercialization of mind-altering substances. In the four states that voted on recreational drug use, all four rejected the industry-backed proposals, favoring policies that prioritize public health and safety.  In Florida, voters defeated Amendment 3, which would have legalized recreational marijuana […]

“Voters by wide margins rejected the legalization of drugs like marijuana and psychedelics from red Florida to blue Massachusetts,” Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions and Smart Approaches to Marijuana President Kevin Sabet said in a statement on the elections. “We expect this Administration to listen to this message loud and clear: More drugs are not […]

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More than half of Florida voters approved of Amendment 3, but it did not reach the required 60 percent threshold to pass. “Floridians have taken a firm stance against the dangerous drugs the pot profiteers tried to convince the public are harmless,” Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, which opposes marijuana legalization. Read […]

Four ballot measures fail to legalize marijuana, psychedelics  (WASHINGTON, DC) –  Voters across the United States, in both Republican and Democratic states, rejected soundly the legalization of marijuana and psychedelics despite pro-drug campaigns outspending opponents by more than 20 to 1.   Florida voters rejected the corporate-drafted Amendment 3 which would’ve legalized recreational marijuana in the […]

(WASHINGTON, DC) – According to multiple media outlets, former president Donald J. Trump is expected to have secured the 270 Electoral College votes necessary to become the 47th President of the United States. Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) and Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President and CEO Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton, […]

Massachusetts could become the third state to legalize psychedelic mushrooms, after Oregon and Colorado, if voters approve a ballot measure known as Question 4. Supporters, who have raised more than $7 million to support the initiative, have said it would give psychiatric patients more treatment options, in regulated settings with trained facilitators. Read the entire […]

Residents Saw Through Pot Profiteers’ Bid to Inject More Drugs into Communities (PIERRE, SD) – Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), released the following statement today commending South Dakotans for wisely rejecting Measure 29, which would have legalized so-called ‘recreational’ marijuana in the state:  “South Dakotans have wisely said ‘no’ to Big Marijuana because they know that despite […]

Residents See Through Addiction Industry’s Latest Bid to Inject More Drugs into the State (BISMARCK, ND) – Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), released the following statement today commending North Dakota voters for wisely rejecting Measure 5, which would have legalized so-called ‘recreational’ marijuana in the Peace Garden State: “For a third time, […]

Voters Reject Amendment 3 in Massive Blow to Marijuana Industry (TALLAHASSEE, FL) – 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 after Florida voters wisely rejected Amendment 3, which would have flooded the state with today’s high-potency marijuana and […]

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is the nation’s premier survey that assesses the prevalence of substance use and substance use disorder. Though the NSDUH’s national estimates are often cited, it also provides state-level estimates that can shed light on the impact of the legalization of recreational marijuana. The prevalence of past-month marijuana use […]

Florida Recreational Marijuana Amendment Questions No on 3 – Jaime Zerbe – Smart Approaches to Marijuana Listen to the entire segment HERE.

(WASHINGTON, DC) – A major new study published in the November 2024 issue of the highly regarded Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry found that recreational marijuana legalization increases past-month youth use by 13%. Crucially, past-month use is indicative of regular use. The comprehensive study, which conducted a meta-analysis that identified 4,604 citations, confirms that […]