News

A study from researchers at the Creighton University School of Medicine found that lung cancer patients who smoked marijuana and tobacco were diagnosed with the condition 2.8 years earlier than those who smoked tobacco but not marijuana. A preprint of the results explained that “these findings signal a potential synergistic carcinogenic effect of tobacco and […]

Increased ER Visits the Latest Consequence of New York’s Embrace of Commercial Marijuana (NEW YORK, NY) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement today in response to new reporting by LoHud that found cannabis-related ER visits in New York spiked 131% from 2019 to […]

The Trump administration’s mantra is to cut waste and cut costs. So, it might seem unthinkable that the federal government would give an addictive industry a tax cut. But that’s exactly what many are proposing. Last year, companies that make highly addictive and dangerous drug products spent more than $4.5 million convincing lawmakers that today’s high-potency marijuana […]

Letter Rightly Threatens Enforcement of Federal Controlled Substances Act, Penalties for Illicit Drug Sales in a School Zones to Both Pot Profiteers and Property Owners Where Businesses Are Operating (WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former three-time White House drug policy advisor, issued the following statement today applauding the U.S. Attorney […]

A recent study in JAMA Neurology found that individuals who required hospital-based care due to marijuana were at an increased risk of being diagnosed with dementia. Compared to the general population, this population of marijuana users was 1.7 times more likely to be diagnosed with dementia within 5 years. The study, led by researchers in […]

SB478 Risks Public Health and Safety By Legalizing, Normalizing Dangerous THC Drugs (INDIANAPOLIS, IN) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former three-time White House drug policy advisor, is imploring Governor Mike Braun and members of the Indiana General Assembly to reject efforts create a legal marketplace for hemp-derived THC drug products and […]

On the Third Anniversary of Commercial Drug Sales, It’s Time Lawmakers Embraced the Science and Admit the Damage Being Done (TRENTON, NJ) – Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement in advance of the third anniversary of commercial marijuana sales in New […]

President Donald Trump made history by nominating award-winning investigative reporter Sara Carter to be the first female director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. If confirmed, she will become the administration’s chief spokesperson on drug policy and have statutory control over the whole of the federal government’s drug policy budget, spread across multiple agencies. Carter brings with her a […]

A recent study published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, based on data from the International Cannabis Policy Study, found that Canadians support regulations that would better protect individuals from the marijuana industry and its products. It also determined that marijuana users, as a subgroup of the national population, were less likely to support these […]

(FoxNews.com) President Donald Trump’s newly issued statement on drug policy priorities shows his administration has embraced the Make America Healthy Again movement as it tackles American’s top public health crisis: addiction. The next step must be to re-empower the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), elevating America’s anti-drug movement to the prominence it […]

A recent study in JAMA Health Forum found that British Columbia’s experiment with “safer supply” was associated with a statistically significant increase in opioid overdose hospitalizations. It also found that the province’s decriminalization of the possession of illicit drugs was associated with a statistically significant increase in opioid overdose hospitalizations. The study, led by Dr. […]

Jonathan Haidt, the author of The Anxious Generation, was recently on Ezra Klein’s podcast The Ezra Klein Show. The Anxious Generation studies the epidemic of teenage mental illness as technology like smartphones and social media become increasingly pervasive in their lives. Excessive usage of these technologies disconnects a teenager from the non-digital world: the real world. That deprivation plus […]

Lawmakers Starting to Understand the Damage Being Done, But More Reforms are Needed (SANTA FE, NM) – Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement upon the third anniversary of commercial marijuana sales in New Mexico:  “New Mexico’s commercial pot marketplace has been […]

Statement from Dr. Kevin Sabet on President Donald Trump’s Nomination of Sara Carter as ONDCP Director (WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, the Trump Administration announced that Sara Carter will be nominated to lead the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). Dr. Kevin Sabet, co-founder and president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and […]

A recent study in Drug Testing and Analysis highlighted the emergence of semi-synthetic cannabinoids (SSC). While Delta-9 THC is known as the “high”-inducing cannabinoid, hundreds of others are also present in the cannabis plant, including CBD. Now, synthetic cannabinoids are being developed, which presents additional health-related risks to marijuana users. The study, which analyzed 79 […]

(WSET) — Governor Glenn Youngkin has once again vetoed a bill that would allow for a retail marijuana sales market. It was no surprise, as he has said repeatedly, that he will not sign the bill into law. Luke Niforatos, Executive Vice President at Smart Approaches to Marijuana, said the Governor’s veto is a major win […]

Governor’s Veto Puts Public Health Over Corporate Greed (RICHMOND, VA) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Kevin A. Sabet, Ph.D., a former three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement today in response to Governor Glenn Youngkin’s veto of legislation that would have allowed commercial sales of high-potency THC drugs and marijuana in Virginia:  […]

New Bill Peddles Big Pot’s Fantasy about Big Revenue, Ignores Massive Costs (NASHVILLE, TN) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement in response to HB0703, the “Tennessee Pot for Potholes Act,” which would legalize commercial sales of high potency marijuana to use the […]

A recent study published in JACC Advances, which is affiliated with the American College of Cardiology, found that marijuana users under the age of 50 were six times more likely than non-users to experience a heart attack (myocardial infarction). The study, which analyzed data from more than 4.6 million individuals, also found that the risks […]

When marijuana legalization first started gaining momentum in the United States, it was heralded as a progressive step toward criminal justice reform, economic growth and public health benefits all at once. Advocates promised that legal cannabis would eliminate the illicit market, generate tax revenue and ensure a safe, well-regulated industry. That is not how things have turned […]

A recent study in Addiction Science & Clinical Practice analyzed 43,553 urine drug screens that were given in 25 jails in the United States in 2023, finding that 75% tested positive for at least one drug. Among the tests that were positive, 69% were positive for marijuana, 55% for stimulants, 30% for opioids, and 12% […]

Pot Profiteers Seek Future Generations Hooked on Addiction to Fuel Corporate Profits (VIENNA, AUSTRIA) – As nations around the world continue to deal with the repercussions of the addiction industry’s efforts to inject more dangerous, psychoactive drugs into populations, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) President Dr. Kevin Sabet heads to the 68th Session […]

Albany’s celebration of $1 billion in commercial marijuana sales earlier this year must have been music to Big Pot’s ears. “Let us celebrate the individuals, businesses, and communities in cannabis who drive our state’s economic engine,” exulted Felicia A. B. Reid, acting executive director of the state Office of Cannabis Management. No one would expect state health commissioner James […]

A study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes found that many state-level qualifying conditions for medical marijuana lack supporting evidence, as contrasted by the conclusions of a 2017 report about marijuana from National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).  The report from the NASEM assessed the potential therapeutic effects of marijuana […]