News
Sabet in Newsweek: Education Should Focus on Stopping Drug Use Before It Starts
Efforts to prevent drug use and encourage kids to live free from drugs have come under increased attack. Rather than building on science and common sense, some have begun advocating for an unproven approach to prevention that aims to not prevent drug use at all—instead it educates children on how to use drugs. Policymakers should […]
Niforatos on Fox News: Expert sounds alarm on danger of hemp products: ‘A matter of life and death’
Protect Our Kids CEO Luke Niforatos discusses growing concerns among parents and medical workers over children’s exposure to hemp-driven products. Watch HERE
DEA warns Georgia to stop plans to let pharmacies sell medical marijuana
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is warning Georgia not to go ahead with a plan to become the first state in the nation to offer medical marijuana products at independent pharmacies. Medical marijuana is only available to Georgians with approval from a physician to treat severe illnesses including seizures, terminal cancers, Parkinson’s disease and post-traumatic […]
Group Of Former US Attys Urges DOJ Not To Reschedule Pot
Read the article HERE.
DEA warns Georgia to cancel plans to become first state to allow pharmacies to sell medical marijuana
DEA officials told pharmacies that dispensing medical marijuana would violate federal law. The Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, which oversees the state’s medical marijuana industry, said it cannot override the federal ban despite state law allowing pharmacies to sell the products. Read more HERE
Federal agency quashes Georgia’s plan to let pharmacies sell medical marijuana
Federal drug officials are warning Georgia to shelve its plans to be the first state to allow pharmacies to dispense medical marijuana products. News outlets report that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Nov. 27 warned pharmacies that dispensing medical marijuana violates federal law. Michael Mumper, the executive director of the nonprofit Georgians for Responsible Marijuana […]
DEA warns Georgia pharmacies that selling medical marijuana is illegal
Federal guidance conflicts with state authorization – AT THIS LINK By Rosie Manins and Helena Oliviero In a major blow to expanding access to medical cannabis in Georgia, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration has warned pharmacies across the state that dispensing medical marijuana violates federal law. The warning comes just after the state became the first in the nation to […]
BIPARTISAN COALITION OF FORMER U.S. ATTORNEYS URGE DOJ, DEA TO REJECT MARIJUANA RESCHEDULING
Former U.S. Attorneys Cite Greater Potency of Today’s THC Drugs, Rise in the Illicit Market and Cartel Activity Following State-Initiated Legalization (WASHINGTON, DC) – More than two dozen former U.S. Attorneys from across the nation, who served under Republican and Democratic administrations, have authored a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) […]
NEW: NATIONAL SURVEY CONFIRMS MARIJUANA USE AMONG MINORS WORSE IN STATES WITH COMMERCIAL THC DRUGS
8th and 12th Graders In “Legal” States More Likely To Use Psychoactive Drugs (WASHINGTON, DC) – In another buzz kill for the pot industry, the annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) Survey conducted by the University of Michigan and funded by the National Institutes of Health, shows marijuana use among minors is worsening in states with commercial markets […]
SAM ACTION: OHIO GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEMBERS MUST STRENGTHEN PROTECTIONS FOR PUBLIC AGAINST PREDATORY BIG MARIJUANA INDUSTRY
State Senate’s Legislation a Good First Step, Enhancements Needed (COLUMBUS, OH) – As the Ohio legislature debates how the state will implement commercial sales of marijuana and THC drug products, Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton, is […]
Doing Addiction-For-Profit Industry’s Bidding, Pro-Pot Representatives Introduce Reckless Marijuana Legalization Bill
STATES 2.0 Act Would Put Nation’s Addiction Crisis on Steroids (WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, Representatives Dave Joyce (OH-14), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05), Brian Mast (FL-21), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), and Troy Carter (LA-02) introduced reckless legislation that would legalize unlimited potency concentrates and kid-friendly pot gummies at the federal level. Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former White House […]
Polis urges federal government to reclassify marijuana
While marijuana has been legal in Colorado for more than a decade, the drug is still illegal at the federal level. That is not likely to change anytime soon, but the federal government is considering reclassifying the drug, which could have big implications in several areas, including cannabis-related businesses in Colorado. “Right now, they’re looking like […]
DEA telling pharmacies in Georgia they could be breaking law if they possess, sell medical marijuana
The DEA is putting Georgia pharmacies on notice that federal laws prohibiting possession and sale of THC may prohibit them from selling medical marijuana. “You could have a product that claims to be low but is really above .3 percent when tested by authorities,” Sabet said. “And then that’s going to put the pharmacy at […]
DEA Agrees That Unregulated THC Oils Aren’t Medicine
Georgia Pharmacies Face Crackdown from Federal Agency for Acting as Pot Shops (WASHINGTON, DC) – In the wake of the Georgia Board of Pharmacy’s rule changes that allows independent pharmacies to dispense THC oils, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has issued a stern warning that “all DEA registrants, including DEA-registered pharmacies, are required to abide by […]
New Study Shows No Evidence Marijuana Reduces Illicit Opioid Use
20-Year Australian Study Found Marijuana May Not Be an Effective Long-Term Method of Reducing Harm for Those with an Opioid Use Disorder (WASHINGTON, DC) – A 20-year study out of Australia, recently published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, has found “no evidence to suggest cannabis reduces illicit opioid use, and it may not be an effective long-term […]
World News Group: Potent marijuana’s higher highs bring lower lows
As more states move to legalize pot, concerns about the drug’s long-term effects multiply “Luke Niforatos is the executive vice president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, an alliance of organizations and individuals opposed to marijuana legalization and commercialization. He argued marijuana makes people more vulnerable to opioid addiction. In a pamphlet, his organization cites a […]
New York Times: Federal Law Requires a Choice: Marijuana or a Gun?
Legal challenges are pending across the country against a federal law that prevents medical marijuana users from buying or owning firearms. Read the entire article HERE.
Governor Sununu’s Pot Push Fizzles
(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, released the following statement today in response to the New Hampshire cannabis commission’s vote to conclude its work without putting forward recommendations for THC drug legalization: “This commission […]
As another neighboring state moves forward on recreational marijuana, Pennsylvania remains stuck in neutral
The DEA is expected to follow HHS’ recommendation and move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. Kevin Sabet, a former drug policy adviser and president and CEO of Smart Approach to Marijuana, a political organization opposed to the legalization and commercialization of marijuana, told City & State that he was “shocked” by HHS’ move. […]
Kevin Sabet in Newsweek: Legalization Doesn’t Make THC Drugs Any Less Risky
“After a multi-million-dollar effort and numerous failures, advocates of marijuana legalization finally succeeded in Ohio this month. Voters approved a referendum to legalize the non-medical use of the drug 57-43 percent. Though the harms caused by the legalization of marijuana cannot be undone, policymakers in states with any form of legal marijuana must take additional […]
Snoop Dogg said he quit smoking, but it was a ruse. Here’s why some experts aren’t laughing.
Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a bipartisan organization made up of health experts, lawmakers and others that oppose marijuana legalization and commercialization, said the “hoax” was disappointing. “I received dozens of comments and thoughts from young people either in recovery [from cannabis use disorder], or contemplating recovery, who were inspired by his words.” […]