SAM’s News
SAM CALLS ON GOV. ABBOTT TO PROTECT KIDS IN TEXAS AND SIGN SB 3 INTO LAW
AUSTIN, TX — Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) has sent a formal letter to Governor Greg Abbott urging him to sign Texas’ Senate Bill 3 into law, a bill that would end the sale of all THC products in the state. In the letter, SAM detailed how the unregulated sale of intoxicating THC products, like […]
Leading Experts Warn Marijuana Rescheduling Driven by Politics in Stunning JAMA Psychiatry Report
Report Underscores SAM’s Position That Prevention Must Remain Top Priority WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a powerful new report published today in JAMA Psychiatry, two of the nation’s foremost experts in public health and law dismantle the federal government’s rationale for rescheduling marijuana. Authored by Harvard Medical School professor Dr. Bertha Madras and Heritage Foundation legal […]
BOMBSHELL FOR DELTA-8 DEALERS: FDA WARNS THEY’RE PEDDLING ILLEGALLY ADULTERATED PRODUCTS
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FDA has put anybody selling food and beverages adulterated with Delta-8 THC on notice. Delta-8 is an intoxicating derivative of hemp previously permitted for sale under a legal loophole. The agency has now made public a March warning letter to marketplace Puredozo; the letter informs the company that what they sell is illegally adulterated, […]
DELTA-8 THC BAN IN BASE TEXT OF MUST-PASS APPROPRIATIONS BILL, COMMITTEE SAYS THC BAN “SUPPORTS MANDATE OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House leaders struck a blow for long-overdue sanity in U.S. drug laws. The House Appropriations Committee released its FY 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Bill. Included in the legislation’s base text is language banning dangerous hemp-derived THC products, including Delta-8 THC. The Appropriations Committee highlighted the […]
SAM Applauds the Appointment of Doug Simon as Director of the US Department of Transportation’s Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy Compliance (ODPAC)
(WASHINGTON, DC) – Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), and Luke Niforatos, Executive Vice President of SAM, released the following statement congratulating Doug Simon on being named the new director of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy Compliance (ODAPC): “On behalf of SAM, we want to extend our […]
SAM: BAN ON THC DRUGS WILL BE A WIN FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY
SAM Applauds the Texas State Senate, House for Passing Critical Reforms to Eliminate Hemp-Derived THC Drug Products (AUSTIN, TX) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement upon the Texas House of Representative’s passage of SB3, which would prohibit sales of hemp-derived THC drug […]
GOVERNOR LEE, STATE LAWMAKERS TAKE A STRONG STEP FORWARD TO KEEP TENNESSEE’S KIDS SAFE FROM DANGEROUS, PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS
New Legislation Bans Sales of Drugs with THC-A Levels Above 0.3% (NASHVILLE, TN) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement today applauding Governor Bill Lee’s signing of HB1376, which severely restricts the addiction industry’s ability to sell dangerous, psychoactive hemp-derived cannabinoid products in […]
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CONFIRMS STATE-LEVEL MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION IS LEADING TO INTERNATIONAL CRIME SYNDICATES OPERATING IN BOTH LEGAL AND ILLICIT MARKETPLACE
New DEA Report Finds Rise in Marijuana Potency Increasing, Expansion of the Illicit Market, Growing Concerns about Youth Vaping and Environmental Damage (WASHINGTON, DC) – The rapid-expansion of state-legal marijuana marketplaces across the United States has been an unequivocable failure according to new data released by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) 2025 National Drug Threat […]
Pennsylvania Senate Committee Rightly Rejects Dangerous State-Run Marijuana Plan
SAM Applauds Senate Committee for Voting Down HB 1200, Cites Major Public Health Risks (HARRISBURG, PA) – Today, the Pennsylvania Senate Law and Justice Committee rightly rejected HB 1200, a radical proposal that would have made Pennsylvania the first state in the country to establish a government-run recreational marijuana program, in violation of federal law. The […]
STATE-OPERATED POT SHOPS ARE LEGALLY DUBIOUS, PRESENT SERIOUS RISK TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY
Pot-Pushing Politicians Are Trading Young People’s Futures For More Government Spending (HARRISBURG, PA) – 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 in response to the Pennsylvania General Assembly voting to pass HB1200, which would flood the state with […]
NEW YORKERS ARE BEARING THE BRUNT OF POT-PUSHING POLITICIANS’ BAD DECISIONS
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 […]
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S CRACKDOWN ON POT PROFITEERS A BOON FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY
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 […]
GOVERNOR MIKE BRAUN, LEGISLATURE MUST WORK TOGETHER TO PROTECT KIDS FROM DANGEROUS PSYCHOACTIVE THC DRUGS
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 […]
MORE THAN 60% OF NJ DRIVERS IN FATAL CRASHES TESTING POSITIVE FOR MARIJUANA
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 […]
ON THIRD ANNIVERSARY, NEW MEXICO’S COMMERCIAL POT SALES CONTINUE TO DAMAGE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY
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 […]
SABET: NOMINEE CARTER KNOWS WELL THE DESTRUCTION OF DRUGS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES ON INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES, COMMUNITIES AND SOCIETY
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 […]
GLENN YOUNGKIN GETS IT: PSYCHOACTIVE DRUG SALES WILL FUEL ADDICTION, MAKE VIRGINIANS LESS SAFE
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: […]
“POT FOR POTHOLES” IS NOTHING MORE THAN SAME OLD PROPAGANDA
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 […]
DANGERS OF DRUGS-FOR-PROFIT, FAILURES OF LEGALIZATION HIGHLIGHTED IN ADVANCE OF THE UN COMMISSION ON NARCOTIC DRUGS
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 […]
Forbes: Republicans Seek To Block Marijuana Tax Deductions Amid Potential Rescheduling
Seven Republican representatives have introduced a bill to block businesses from claiming tax marijuana deductions for expenses, even if the substance is federally rescheduled. Republican Rep. Jodey C. Arrington, Chairman of the House Budget Committee, introduced a bill last week—co-sponsored by six colleagues—to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and uphold the ban on […]
HOUSE BUDGET COMMITTEE CHAIR INTRODUCES BILL TO PREVENT $2 BILLION MARIJUANA INDUSTRY TAX BREAK AHEAD OF BUDGET RECONCILIATION
(Washington, DC) — Today, U.S. House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Jodey Arrington introduced Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action)-drafted legislation to prevent a $2.3 billion tax cut for the marijuana industry. Arrington’s legislation (H.R. 1447) a companion bill to S.471 introduced recently by Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE), would amend Section 280E […]
Bills to legalize, decriminalize weed in Indiana fail to move forward
INDIANAPOLIS– Despite a record amount of marijuana bills filed by both Indiana Republicans and Democrats this legislative session, all efforts to legalize and decriminalize weed failed. ”This is really just not a priority for people; it’s also not a priority for the leaders of Indiana,” said Jaime Zerbe with Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM). SAM […]
SAM covered in North Carolina news
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) Opponents of marijuana legalization have often cited safety concerns, a point brought up by Jordan Davidson, who serves as the Government Affairs Manager for Smart Approaches to Marijuana. “We want people to have safe and effective medicine that’s able to be prescribed by doctors that go through (rigorous scientific) review. Unfortunately, that […]
NEW REPORT DEMONSTRATES CONTINUED DANGERS OF PSYCHOACTIVE DRUG COMMERCIALIZATION
(WASHINGTON, DC) – A new report released today by the Common Sense Institute finds that state-level normalization and legalization of drugs—especially marijuana—is having profound consequences on use rates, overdose rates, and perceptions of harm, as well as costing states billions. According to the report’s findings, early adopters of marijuana legalization like Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska each […]