News

SAM Friday Fact 06/14/2024: Nearly one-third of Canadians who consumed marijuana in the past 12 months reported experiencing at least one adverse health effect

The results of a survey of Canadians aged 16-65 who used marijuana in the last year were published in the study, “Adverse outcomes of cannabis use in Canada, before and after legalisation of non-medical cannabis: cross-sectional analysis of the International Cannabis Policy Study.” The survey aimed to find what percentage of these users experienced at […]

Sabet: Cannabis industry is about money, not medicine

Biden administration’s recent move to reschedule marijuana could be a big gift The Biden administration’s recent move to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III has been drawing criticism from activists on both sides of the issue. For those focused on science and medical efficacy, it’s a move that fails to recognize the growing […]

DELTA-8 THC LOOPHOLE CLOSED IN APPROPRIATIONS BILL JUST WEEKS AFTER FARM BILL AMENDMENT BANNING HEMP INTOXICANTS CLEARS AG COMMITTEE

Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) and Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) Lauded for Their Leadership on Critical Public Health and Safety Reforms (WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration advanced legislation that bans dangerous hemp-derived THC products. This language is identical to the Farm Bill […]

STATEMENT FROM SMART APPROACHES TO MARIJUANA IN RESPONSE TO THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S SAP IN OPPOSITION TO THE BAN ON THC TESTING IN THE MILITARY

Banning Marijuana Testing Reduces Military Readiness, Risks Service Members Health and Safety (WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton, issued the following statement today in response to the Biden Administration’s Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) in opposition to the ban on […]

Easing federal marijuana rules: There’s still a long way to go

Nearly three weeks after the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration proposed loosening a federal prohibition on marijuana, the next phases of policy fights over the drug’s status are starting to take shape. Public comments, which the government is accepting on the proposal until mid-July, will likely include an analysis of the economic impact of more lenient […]

SAM Friday Fact 06/07/2024: Arizona youth survey shows youth obtain marijuana from marijuana stores

The 2022 Arizona Youth Survey State Report provided the percentage of Arizona’s 8th, 10th, and 12th graders who reported that they acquired marijuana from marijuana stores in 2018, 2020, and 2022.  In November 2010, Arizona legalized medical marijuana and on November 30th, 2020, Arizona legalized and commercialized marijuana. Between 2020 and 2022, the percentage of […]

Conference Committee Reaches Deal on Legal Weed; Will it Pass the House?

Defying political expectations, House and Senate negotiators signed off on a deal to legalize recreational marijuana in New Hampshire, making the Granite State the last New England state to allow legal weed. “I’m going to vote against it, but I am going to sign it,” Senate President Jeb Bradley, the upper chamber’s lead negotiator, told […]

SAM Friday Fact 05/31/2024: Daily or Near-Daily (DND) Marijuana Use Surpasses Daily or Near-Daily (DND) Alcohol Use in the U.S.

A recent study “Changes in self-reported cannabis use in the United States from 1979 to 2022,” published in Addiction by Jonathan Caulkins, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University focuses on changes in the consumption patterns of marijuana. He compared these trends for marijuana to consumption patterns for alcohol. Caulkins found that daily or near-daily use […]

New Hampshire Politicians Look To Rearrange Deck Chairs On The Titanic With Conference Committee Hearing On Legalization Bill

CONCORD, NH) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton, issued the following statement today in response to the New Hampshire State House voting to reject Senate-made changes, backed by Governor Chris Sununu, to legislation that would have legalized marijuana […]

Marijuana reclassification: How the change in drug laws impacts Arizona

This week, the federal government made the formal move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, and it seems people agree, after a new study found more Americans are using marijuana daily. So how would this change in marijuana drug laws impact Phoenix? The reclassification wouldn’t just cut taxes for Mint Cannabis. Molina says it would […]

FARM BILL AMENDMENT CLOSES DANGEROUS DELTA 8 LOOPHOLE

Agriculture Chairman Rep. GT Thompson (R-PA), Reps. Mary Miller (R-IL), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) Lauded for Their Leadership on Critical Public Health and Safety Reforms (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 lauding the House […]

Marijuana Rescheduling Consequences: Potency, Policy, and Public Health featuring SAM’s Chief of Staff Jaime Zerbe!

Join us on The Opioid Matrix podcast for an eye-opening discussion with Jaime Zerbe, Chief of Staff at SAM, as we dive into the complex landscape of marijuana rescheduling. Explore the shifts in potency, policy, and public health since the 60s. Don’t miss this enlightening episode! Click here to listen to the podcast with SAM’s […]

BIDEN RESCHEDULING RECOMMENDATION AFFIRMS MARIJUANA’S ILLEGAL STATUS

Though Marijuana Would Remain Illegal, Election-Year Decision To Reschedule Marijuana Would be a Boon for Pot Investors Pushing a Demonstrably Dangerous Drug (WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton, issued the following statement today in response to President Biden’s […]

GOVERNOR SUNUNU FALLS FOR POT INDUSTRY’S LIES

State-Operated Drug Dealers Will Harm the Granite State (CONCORD, NH) – In response to New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu’s push for state-operated pot shops passing the State Senate, Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton, issued the following […]

SAM Friday Fact 05/17/2024: Since 2018, marijuana workforce drug test positivity has increased by 60.7%, with 2023 reaching a new peak

This week, Quest Diagnostics released an analysis of workforce drug testing in 2023. Quest Diagnostics processed 10 million drug tests in 2023 and found a  surge in drugs test tampering. Additionally, the company shared their marijuana workforce drug test positivity rate for 2023, highlighting that the marijuana workforce drug test positivity rate is at an […]

ANOTHER DISASTROUS REPORT SHOWS THE DANGERS OF POT-POSITIVE WORKERS 

New Quest Diagnostics Study Highlights Drastic Measures Being Used to Avoid Testing Positive for Drugs Marijuana Positivity in the U.S. Workforce Increased 45.2% Over Five Years (WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) CEO Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton, released the following statement today based on a new […]

It’s frustrating when naysayers deny the data 

Listen to the interview here: https://www.audacy.com/podcast/newell-normand-7db0d/episodes/its-frustrating-when-naysayers-deny-the-data-that-reveal-the-dangers-of-marijuana-bf4af

SAM Friday Fact 05/10/2024: The rate of violent behavior in daily marijuana users aged 18-34 was nearly twice the violent behavior rate of non-users

The study “Associations of cannabis use, use frequency, and cannabis use disorder with violent behavior among young adults in the United States” was recently published by Nora D. Volkow and the team at NIDA. The study found that the rate of violent behavior in daily marijuana users aged 18-34 was nearly twice the violent behavior rate of non-users.  […]

A Bird’s Eye View of The Negative Effects of Marijuana on Mental Health 

By Dr. Christian Thurstone  We’ve learned a lot about marijuana in the past decade. First, the marijuana available today is about 10 times more potent than it was in the 1980s and 1990s. This means that today’s marijuana is more likely to cause panic attacks, psychosis, and cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS). CHS is a new […]

SAM Friday Fact 05/03/2024: Percentage of Colorado Students Who Used Marijuana via Vaporization in the Past 30 Days

The Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, conducted by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, assessed trends in tobacco, drug, and alcohol use among high school students in the Centennial State. Notably, beyond asking students whether they used marijuana, it asked how they used it, finding that many vaped it. Among past-month marijuana users, the […]

Marijuana 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.

BIDEN AFFIRMS MARIJUANA’S ILLEGAL STATUS, BUT MARIJUANA RESCHEDULING DECISION TAINTED BY INDUSTRY INFLUENCE, POLITICS

Decision To Reschedule Marijuana Could Have Far-Reaching Consequences for Public Health and Safety (WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton, issued the following statement today in response to reporting that the Administration has proposed a decision to reverse decades […]

Exposing Colorado’s psychedelic conflicts of interest

As Colorado develops its regulatory framework for the psychedelics industry, we now see that it is being undermined by many of the same competing interests that have taken hold of the state’s profit-driven THC drug and marijuana industry. Read the entire article HERE.