SAM’s News

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, from 2018 to 2023, the number of marijuana hospital-treated poisonings for children aged 4 and under increased by 733%:  On July 1, 2022, low-dose hemp edibles were legalized in Minnesota. On August 1, 2023, Minnesota then legalized marijuana. From 2022 to 2023, hospital visits among children aged 4 […]

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.

(LITTLE ROCK, AR) – In a tremendous victory for public health and safety, the Arkansas State Supreme Court today ruled in favor of Protect Arkansas Kids’ legal challenge to the state’s marijuana legalization ballot initiative.  In a 4-3 ruling, the Court declared the ballot title for the proposed constitutional amendment with the popular name “Medical […]

(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 […]

(BOSTON, MA) – With Bay State residents facing an onslaught of pro-drug advertising, SAM Action, in conjunction with its sister organization, the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions, is giving a major boost to the Coalition for Safe Communities as it fights against the legalization of psychedelics, the opening of for-profit psychedelic centers, and the introduction of growth and […]

On October 10, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a patient education page titled, “Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome.” Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS) is characterized by repeated nausea, vomiting, and severe stomach pain after using high doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) over an extended period of time––THC is the psychoactive component of marijuana that makes […]

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 […]

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 […]

A study published in JAMA Pediatrics on October 7 entitled, “Cannabis Use During Adolescence and Young Adulthood and Academic Achievement,” found that marijuana use is associated with:  The study was a meta-analysis of 63 studies that included more than 400,000 individuals. It concluded, “moderate-certainty evidence showed cannabis use during adolescence and young adulthood is probably […]

A July 2024 report from the Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) reported: “Following the medical marijuana legalization in 2016, North Dakota’s hospitals observed an increase in both emergency room visits and hospitalizations due to marijuana related events.” After legalizing medical marijuana, North Dakota saw a 336% increase in marijuana-related emergency department visits, rising […]

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas Supreme Court ordered disputed signatures be verified and an expedited hearing be held for the medical marijuana question that supporters hope to place on the November ballot. Several groups have filed with the court since Monday when Secretary of State John Thurston advised the medical marijuana ballot law change […]

UPDATE: Late this afternoon, the Arkansas Supreme Court ordered Secretary of State John Thurston to keep counting signatures collected in support of a constitutional amendment that would expand the state medical marijuana program.  Thurston must file a report by Friday, the court said. Here’s the order. On Monday, Thurston said the marijuana group’s petition fell 2,664 signatures short of […]

Opponents of legalization say public perception hasn’t caught up with mounting health concerns Before the 1990s, a typical marijuana joint contained less than 2 percent of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)—the psychoactive component that gives cannabis users a high. Today, individuals smoke or vape plants with a 17 percent to 28 percent THC potency, and many edibles, oils, […]

Motion Follows Ruling by the Arkansas Secretary of State that Found Legalization Proponents Did Not Follow Election Rules (LITTLE ROCK, AR) – This week Protect Arkansas Kids, in conjunction with national public health policy organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action), filed legal motions to intervene in the pending Arkansas Supreme Court case over whether the […]

When the Florida Supreme Court in April approved a measure for the November statewide ballot that would legalize recreational marijuana use, the stage was set for a monumental battle between those who think legalization is long overdue and those who oppose it on constitutional, health, safety or other grounds. If Amendment 3 on the Florida […]

Taxpayers Lose on Both Health and Fiscal Responsibility  (WASHINGTON, DC) – Pro-drug legislation that would put the addiction industry on steroids took a blow with the latest Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report, which finds that the so-called “SAFER Banking” Act would increase the federal deficit by $65 million between 2024-2034 if it were enacted this year. According […]

Comparisons to Amsterdam-Style Cafés Fail to Reflect Critical Safety Regulations (SACRAMENTO, CA) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former Obama White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement today in response to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s signing of Assembly Bill 1775, which will allow commercial marijuana shops to prepare and serve […]

Robert Gebelhoff’s Sept. 18 op-ed misses a critical point: Aligning federal and state laws is not about opening new markets but ensuring existing ones are safer. The bipartisan States 2.0 Act offers a pragmatic solution by allowing states to regulate cannabis as they see fit, while keeping it out of states that oppose legalization. It’s easy to argue that […]

The rise of state-sanctioned cannabis markets amid the absence of federal regulation has prioritized politics intended to launch marijuana sales over those focused on public health….. Read more HERE.

Report Calls on Federal Government, States, Tribal Nations to Advance Policies that Reduce Access to Dangerous, Psychoactive Drugs (WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet issued the following statement today in response to the National Academies release of its “Cannabis Policy Impacts Public Health and Health Equity” Consensus Study Report: “Despite a […]