SAM’s News

The Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, a federally-funded coalition of law enforcement agencies, warned, “following medical marijuana legalization in South Dakota, hospitals observed an increase in emergency department visits and hospitalizations for marijuana complications/poisonings.” Specifically, from 2020 to 2022, South Dakota saw a 53% increase in marijuana-related ED visits, a 57% increase in hospitalizations, […]

Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump are trying to convince American voters that their vision for the future of the nation should be the chosen path forward. Whether it’s the ballot measures to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida, South Dakota, and North Dakota; ballot measures related to medical marijuana in Nebraska and Arkansas; or the Biden […]

Oklahoma legalized medical marijuana in 2018, which has been associated with an increase in the number of marijuana-related exposure reports to the Oklahoma Poison Center. Oklahoma Watch reported, “In 2022, 583 cases of accidental marijuana consumption were reported to the Oklahoma Poison Center. Almost half involved a child under 6 and most involved edibles.” Citing […]

The ballot measure voters will see Nov. 5 is known as Amendment 3. If it receives enough “yes” votes, adults 21 and older can legally possess up to three ounces of marijuana. A “no” vote opposes legalizing marijuana for adult use in Florida. “Smoking and using marijuana is not safe at all,” Luke Niforatos, of Smart […]

Recently, several studies have been released that highlight the physical risks of daily or frequent marijuana use. A study published in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery and featured on CNN showed that daily marijuana usage was linked to higher risks of certain cancers. Another study published in Atmospheric Environment: X and featured on Americans for Nonsmokers’ […]

Marijuana, Psychedelics, Other Drugs Fuel Suicide Rates Across the U.S. (WASHINGTON, DC) – As the nation gathers to spread a powerful reminder that nearly 50,000 Americans die by suicide annually, making it 11th leading cause of death, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) President and CEO Dr. Kevin Sabet is using National Suicide Prevention Week […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has signaled support for a potentially historic federal policy shift to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, putting his position in line with that of his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris. The commonality reflects a major shift toward broad public support for legalization in recent years and marks the first time that both major-party presidential […]

The former president suggests he wants to see marijuana reclassified as a Schedule III drug, the first time Trump has endorsed the easing of federal restrictions. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has expressed support for loosening federal restrictions on marijuana, aligning himself with the Biden administration’s ongoing efforts to do exactly that. In a social media post Sunday, Trump […]

The Monitoring the Future national survey results on substance use highlights the trend in the 30-day prevalence of daily marijuana use from 2013 to 2023:  From 2013 to 2023, there was a statistically significant increase in daily marijuana use for both age groups. The percentage that used marijuana daily for those aged 19-30 increased from […]

(WASHINGTON, DC) – 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 former President Donald Trump’s statement on Truth Social: “Trump’s endorsement of marijuana is confusing and hypocritical for a ‘law and order’ candidate who […]

According to the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, from 2018 to 2023, the number of marijuana poison control calls for children aged 5 and under increased by 2,300%:  This trend is being exacerbated by the emergence of child-friendly products and packaging. The marijuana industry is developing products that appeal to adolescents, such as […]

ATLANTA — An Atlanta-based parking company is under fire for a controversial promotion giving away free cannabis products. Channel 2 investigative reporter Ashli Lincoln got action from the company. ParkMobile sent out emails offering a gift card that could be used at several places. One of them is Five CBD, an online store that sells Delta […]

SAM Will Make The Case That Marijuana Must Remain in Schedule I (WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which is currently overseeing the Biden Administration’s proposal to reschedule of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act, announced there will be an administrative hearing on December 2, 2024, on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that was published […]

A recent poll, conducted by Gallup, found that there has been a shift in public opinion regarding marijuana. The first asked the question, “What effect do you think the use of marijuana has on most people who use it – very positive, somewhat positive, somewhat negative or very negative?” Gallup focused on several demographic subgroups […]

A national parking service provider that operates in Little Rock, Fayetteville and elsewhere in the state has directed its rewards program to remove cannabis products from its available rewards.  ParkMobile, which allows users in cities across the country to pay for parking on streets or in lots through a smartphone app, provides users with rewards […]

Listen to the entire radio segment here: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1248-dakota-mornings-143672613/episode/dakota-mornings-81324-9am-205933350/?cmp=ios_share&sc=ios_social_share&pr=false

The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) dashboard reported the number of treatment admissions for various drugs, including marijuana, by race from 2015 to 2022. New York Treatment Admissions for Marijuana by Race (2015-2022):  According to the 2020 Census, New York’s racial makeup was 52.50% White, 19.50% Hispanic, 14.80% Black, 9.60% […]

The 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) asked those who used marijuana about the ways in which they used it. While many readers likely know that the marijuana is often smoked, the NSDUH found that an alarming number of Americans also vape it.  Number of Past-Month & Past-Year Users Who Vaped Marijuana […]

Marketing Campaign Offers Drivers Free Psychoactive Drugs   (WASHINGTON, DC) – In one of the most bizarre and irresponsible marketing schemes in recent memory, a leading municipal parking payment processor is drawing fire for offering free THC-laced drugs for drivers who use their app.    Last month, ParkMobile sent customers a marketing email offering a free “gift.” […]

Despite Promises, Marijuana Legalization Will Not Be a Benefit to Ohio’s Communities (COLUMBUS, OH) –– As retail sales of commercially-produced marijuana and high-potency THC-infused drugs begin this week in Ohio, Dr. Kevin Sabet, President and CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton, released […]

This week, SAMHSA released the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which is the leading federal estimate of trends in drug, tobacco, and alcohol use. While there are many data points that will likely appear in future versions of the Friday Fact, today’s edition focuses on the number of monthly users of […]

Higher Usage Rates, Flood in Poison Control Calls Likely to Continue Following Full-Scale Marijuana Commercialization (ST. PAUL, MN) – As Minnesota reaches the one-year mark of full-scale commercial sales of pot and THC-infused drugs, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former three-time White House drug policy advisor, issued the following statement about the serious […]

More Than 15 Million Americans Are Using THC-Laced Drugs Daily (WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Clinton, and Bush, issued the following statement today in response to the release of the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) from the U.S. […]

The federal government is looking at rescheduling cannabis, meaning fewer restrictions for the plant and the industry. The proposal received thousands of comments and now experts are weighing in.  According to the DEA, the drugs currently are classified on a scale of one to five. President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, Dr. Kevin Sabet, said rescheduling […]