SAM in the Press

(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 […]

(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 […]

On Nov. 5, voters in red and blue states alike delivered historic election results and rightfully rejected marijuana and psychedelic legalization ballot measures. In Florida, legalization was defeated by 4 points despite pro-marijuana groups investing over $150 million in the race. North Dakotans refused legalization by 5 points, giving addiction to marijuana its third loss in a […]

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 […]

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

“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 […]

Read the entire article HERE.

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 […]

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 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, […]

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

With Florida’s recreational pot proposal, Amendment 3, polling at over 60%, we explore the pro and cons of legalizing marijuana with people representing all sides of the debate. Guests: Listen to the conversation HERE.

If it seems as if there has been an effort in Nebraska to legalize marijuana use for medicinal purposes at one election after another, it’s because supporters of the efforts have been persistent. The Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana organization has been pushing to get the issue on the ballot for years. In 2020, for example, […]

Read the article HERE.

Voters will not have the chance after all to vote on an amendment that would have expanded the state medical marijuana program, thanks to an Arkansas Supreme Court ruling Monday that disqualified the measure. Read the entire article HERE.

(WASHINGTON, DC) – The largest drug prevention group in the country, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), honored drug policy expert Dr. Kevin Sabet and the national public health policy organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) with the Raiko Mendoza Pagliarello Champion for Drug Free Kids during its 26th annual “Drug-Free Kids Campaign Awards Dinner.” SAM, which was co-founded […]

Florida’s Catholic bishops are urging residents to vote no on a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana in the Sunshine State as activists on both sides continue to funnel millions of dollars into the record-breaking campaign. Amendment 3, which would legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and older, is the most expensive […]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action launched a new ad campaign urging Floridians to vote “NO” on Amendment 3, a Florida ballot initiative seeking to constitutionally protect the recreational use of marijuana. Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action is a nonprofit “dedicated to a health-first approach to marijuana policy.” In a press release, the group […]

(WASHINGTON, DC) – The nation’s largest nonprofit dedicated to health-focused public policy and advocacy against the commercialization of marijuana, Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action), has launched a digital ad campaign in the closing weeks of the 2024 election cycle as it urges Floridians to vote NO on Amendment 3.  With the measure being […]

The following op-ed appeared in Saturday’s Miami Herald In our polarized climate, it’s hard to identify any issue on which Americans agree. Yet, there’s one notable exception: corporate monopolies. A recent poll of 1,700 Americans found that 81 percent of likely voters and majorities of both parties agree with the statement, “I am concerned that […]

This year, Gov. Jared Polis proclaimed, “Colorado has always been a national leader in cannabis …” However, a look beyond the marketing schemes and flowery language shows a far more dangerous truth. The marijuana being sold in Colorado’s dispensaries comes with inherent risks, which have persisted because of a lack of urgency from regulators. That’s […]