SAM’s News

During an interview with Barclays Investments on September 5, 2018, tobacco industry executives from Altria (the parent company of tobacco giant Philip Morris) indicated their interest in taking advantage of marijuana as a new product line: Gaurav Jain (Barclays) There has been quite a bit of interest in the cannabis space, especially given recent news […]

BREAKING: Marijuana Legalization Defeated Again in Vermont National Marijuana Policy Group Applauds Defeat of Marijuana Commercialization in Vermont  For Immediate Release: Monday, April 30, 2018 Contact: Colton Grace Colton@learnaboutsam.org 864-492-6719 [Montpelier, VT] – On Friday, the Vermont House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to kill a bill that would have fully legalized the commercialization of marijuana. […]

Poll presents voters with only two options on marijuana policy, contradicted by Mason-Dixon poll. CHICAGO – Today, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute released a poll of Illinois voters that purports to show overwhelming support for the legalization of marijuana. The poll shows that 66% of voters in the state were supportive of the legalization […]

Jersey City, NJ – Today, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), and it’s affiliate, NJ Responsible Approaches to Marijuana (NJ-RAMP), will be testifying about the impact of marijuana legalization in front of the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus. You can watch it live here!   WHO:  New Jersey Responsible Approaches to Marijuana Policy (NJ-RAMP) Coalition Members, including Kevin […]

Auto Club and SAM Believe A Collective Pause Needs To Be Taken Before Maryland Considers Legalizing Recreational Marijuana  TOWSON, MD (February 20, 2018) — Mid-Atlantic and Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) are opposing a marijuana legalization bill being heard today at 1:00 p.m. in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee in Annapolis that would impact traffic safety on […]

NEW ILLINOIS MASON-DIXON POLL SHOWS  LARGE MAJORITY OPPOSES LEGALIZING RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA  Poll finds only 23% support the legalization of recreational marijuana; 69% want other options such as maintaining current decriminalization law CHICAGO – The majority of voters in Illinois oppose legalizing recreational marijuana, according to a recent poll conducted by Mason-Dixon and paid for by SAM Action, a non-profit organization sponsoring Healthy & […]

Report by prominent marijuana policy group finds costs would outweigh any tax revenue under legalization HARTFORD, CT – Today, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), in conjunction with the Connecticut chapter of SAM (CT-SAM), released a comprehensive report on the projected costs of legalization in Connecticut — finding that legalization would cost the state $216 million, far outweighing even […]

NEW FDU POLL SHOWS MAJORITY OF NEW JERSEYANS OPPOSE LEGALIZING RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA “Anyone who expected legalization to happen quickly and easily might reconsider given these findings,” said Krista Jenkins to the Star-Ledger, professor of political science and director of the FDU Poll. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 1, 2018   CONTACT:  Jeanette Hoffman 908-418-0859   TRENTON – The […]

Statement by SAM on Vermont Governor Signing Possession Legislation (January 22, 2018 – Alexandria, VA) “Today, Governor Phil Scott signed H.511 into law, permitting adults over 21 to possess and cultivate marijuana beginning in July of this year. Unlike some reports, this bill will not legalize marijuana sales. While SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) always […]

Contact: SAM Press Office/Luke Niforatos            FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   press@learnaboutsam.org; 303-335-7584                                January 17, 2018   New National Poll Shows Support for Marijuana Legalization Dips Below 50% When Voters Are Given Other Policy Choices Mason-Dixon poll on marijuana finds support […]

Contact: SAM Press Office/Luke Niforatos          FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  press@learnaboutsam.org; 303-335-7584           January 4, 2018 DOJ WILL RESCIND COLE MEMO, PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMUNITIES APPLAUD MOVE DOJ Decision Will Dry Up Money To Marijuana Industry   (January 4, 2018 – Alexandria, VA) – The Department of Justice will announce today […]

Contact: SAM Press Office/Luke Niforatos                                               FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  press@learnaboutsam.org; 303-335-7584                                               […]

Annual Survey of Students Shows Marijuana Significantly Use Up Among Grades 8, 10, & 12 versus 2016; Virtually All Other Substances Decreasing First Increase in Seven Years; Monitoring the Future Survey Also Shows Twice the Percentage of Students in Medical Marijuana States Consume Pot Edibles; Vaping Also Higher (December 14, 2017 – Alexandria, VA) – The […]

Contact: SAM Press Office/Luke Niforatos            FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   press@learnaboutsam.org; 303-335-7584              December 13, 2017 Marijuana use at exit from the Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP) increased significantly after marijuana legalization in WA (December 13, 2017 – Alexandria, VA) – A new peer-reviewed study about to be […]

Statement on NSDUH State Estimates 2015-2016 New Federal Data Show Legalized States Marijuana Use At Alarming Rates; Colorado Now Top State in US for First-Time Marijuana Users Other legal states also show alarming increases in use The average rate of regular teen marijuana use in the legalized states of Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington is […]

NEW EMERSON COLLEGE POLL:  Support for pot legalization in New York falls 20 percentage points when respondents are given choice of decriminalization SAM Action-commissioned poll used same college pollster as Marijuana Policy Project and Drug Policy Alliance; finds support falls dramatically when New Yorkers are offered alternatives to legalization (December 4, 2017 – New York, […]

  SAM Launches National Campaign “High Means DUI” to Raise Awareness on the Harms of Driving While High and Support Pro-Active Legislation                              Local Contact: Dana Stevens 760-317-6716 National Contact: press@learnaboutsam.org (SAN DIEGO) – SAM, Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a 501 c-3 nonprofit […]

Legislation would have permitted pot clubs and could have allowed minors inside retail pot shops   November 3, 2017   CONTACT: SAM Action Press Office info@samaction.net Alexandria, VA – Leading national marijuana policy group Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action), fresh off an open letter campaign to Governor Paul LePage, is applauding the governor today for vetoing […]

SAM and partners have been urging action;  FDA sends warning letters to four companies today   (Alexandria, Va., November 1, 2017) – Today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it was sending warning letters to companies illegally selling marijuana products with unsubstantiated medical claims. SAM and its partners have written to FDA numerous times over […]

National Survey Shows Soaring Marijuana Use Among All Americans 12 and Older; Heavy Use Also on the Rise National survey highlights jump in pot use among young adults in era of marijuana legalization; Almost twice as many adolescents regularly use marijuana than cigarettes   (Alexandria, Va., September 7, 2017) – Every day, 7,000 new people […]

SAM Statement Regarding The Denver Post’s New Stoned Driving Analysis Today, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), the leading nonprofit, nonpartisan group dedicated to advancing evidence-based marijuana laws in the U.S., issued the following statement from SAM President Dr. Kevin Sabet in response to The Denver Post’s new analysis indicating the number of marijuana-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes […]

SAM Statement: Marijuana Industry Report on Colorado Marijuana Tax Revenue   (Alexandria, VA)-Today, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), the nation’s leading non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting evidenced-based marijuana laws released the following statement in response to a new report by the marijuana industry on marijuana revenue:    “Like the tobacco industry before it, the […]

PNC Bank Closing Bank Accounts of Major Marijuana Lobby-Industry Group as Potential DOJ Enforcement Looms over Pot Businesses and Companies Who Service Them   [Alexandria, Va.] — Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), a non-partisan, non-profit group focused on evidence-based drug policy, highlighted an announcement that PNC Bank is closing the bank accounts of the Marijuana Policy […]