SAM’s News

BLOCK ON RESCHEDULING, RESTRICTIONS ON SALES OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA NEAR SCHOOLS ADVANCE AS PART OF COMMITTEE-PASSED APPROPRIATIONS BILL

SAM Authored Provisions Advance in FY 2025 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Bill (WASHINGTON DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) President and CEO Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton, released the following statement today in response to the House Committee on […]

NPHO partners with Arkansans to file committee to protect kids against marijuana addiction

The National Public Health Organization has announced a partnership with Arkansans to protect children against marijuana addiction-for-profit industry.  Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) action joins local residents to establish the “Protect Arkansas Kids” Committee to oppose the state’s marijuana commercialization ballot measure. Protect Arkansas Kids and Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) Action launched today to […]

Anti-marijuana group says it will fight medical marijuana amendment

A national group that worked to defeat a recreational cannabis measure in Arkansas two years ago announced today it will oppose a proposed expansion of the state’s medical marijuana program this year.  Smart Approaches to Marijuana said in an email today that it formed a committee called “Protect Arkansas Kids” to oppose the Arkansas Medical Marijuana […]

Bill puts marijuana pipe dreams before NC health and safety

Marijuana isn’t medicine. So says the FDA, the AMA, and countless other medical and scientific professionals. The North Carolina Medical Society announced they have “not supported the legalization of medical marijuana,” yet out-of-touch legislators in Raleigh are again trying to legalize so-called “medical marijuana.” And this time they’ve paired it with a radical legalization of other dangerous, […]

NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH ORGANIZATION PARTNERS WITH ARKANSANS TO FILE COMMITTEE TO PROTECT KIDS AGAINST MARIJUANA ADDICTION-FOR-PROFIT INDUSTRY

Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) Action Joins Local Residents to Establish “Protect Arkansas Kids” Committee to Oppose the State’s Marijuana Commercialization Ballot Measure (LITTLE ROCK, AR) – Protect Arkansas Kids, a committee established by local residents and the nation’s foremost organization dedicated to a health-first approach to marijuana policy, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) Action, […]

MORE DEADLY DRUGGED-DRIVING ACCIDENTS, HIGHER RATES OF MARIJUANA USE AFTER A DECADE OF COMMERCIAL THC DRUG SALES IN WASHINGTON

As the State Marks A Decade of Marijuana Sales, SAM Urges Serious Reforms (OLYMPIA, WA) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton, issued the following statement today in advance of Washington’s 10th anniversary of commercial marijuana sales: “Ten years since opening […]

SAM Friday Fact 06/28/2024: Rise in Marijuana Edible Exposures Among Young Children in Illinois Since Legalization

The Illinois Poison Center reported on the number of unintentional exposures to marijuana edibles among young children from 2019 to 2023. Here’s what they found: Number of Marijuana Edible Exposures Among Young Illinois Children by Year  Illinois legalized the personal use of marijuana and commercialized it on January 1st, 2020. Following legalization, the number of […]

NCAA POLICY CHANGE PUTS DRUGS IN THE GAME

NCAA’s Division I Council’s Removal of Marijuana from Drug Testing Regiment Compromises Player Safety and Student-Athletes’ Long-term Brain Development (WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet released the following statement today in response to reports that the NCAA Division I Council has moved to remove cannabinoids from the banned drug class for championships and […]

Sabet in Newsweek: Marijuana Rescheduling Is High-Risk, Low-Reward

As the Biden administration attempts to move full speed ahead in its efforts to loosen federal restrictions around marijuana, Americans should avail themselves of the opportunity to make their voices heard. Given the pot and tobacco industry’s long history of spreading misinformation and downplaying the harms associated with high-potency psychoactive THC drugs, we need to […]

SAM Friday Fact 06/21/2024: Connecticut Survey Shows Increases in Past-Month Marijuana Use

In the Connecticut Department of Public Health’s recently published a report, “2024 Cannabis Health Statistics Report,” relying on data from the Connecticut Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, conducted in 2017, 2021, and 2022. The Department examined the percentage of past-month marijuana users across different age groups in Connecticut:  Percentage of Past-Month Marijuana Users Among Age […]

MARIJUANA USE UP, PERCEPTIONS OF HARM DOWN IN WAKE OF COMMERCIAL POT SALES

Past-Month Use Rises Among Adults, Minors, Outpacing National Average (HARTFORD, CT) – Marijuana use among adults and children has grown in the wake of Connecticut’s embrace of pot-profiteers and their dangerous, psychoactive drugs. According to a new report from the Connecticut Department of Health, past-year and past-month marijuana use among those 12 and older is higher than […]

BBC: Maryland governor forgives thousands of marijuana-related convictionsBBC:

The governor of the US state of Maryland has pardoned 175,000 people convicted of cannabis offences. Listen to the interview HERE.

Sabet on FOX News: ‘We need to be careful about mass marijuana commercialization’

Smart Approaches to Marijuana CEO Dr. Kevin Sabet responds to comments from Kamala Harris on marijuana and addresses various concerns with the drug. Watch the video here:

The Center Square: Group warns increased cannabis use connected to youth self harm

One Illinois county may be ahead of the curve with warning signs that link marijuana use with potential suicide. Citing national studies and local statistics, McHenry County requires marijuana dispensaries to post warnings. The signs state that cannabis use may lead to mental health problems, including increased thoughts of suicide. Signs must be posted prominently and state […]

MARYLAND GOVERNOR WES MOORE PARDONS MARIJUANA POSSESSION CHARGES NEARLY TWO YEARS AFTER STATE LEGALIZES; PROVES REFORM CAN BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT LEGALIZATION

(Washington, DC) — Today, Governor Wes Moore (MD) issued a blanket pardon for individuals convicted of marijuana possession in Maryland. Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) President and CEO Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former drug policy advisor to Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama issued the following statement in response: “Governor Moore’s actions are important for promoting […]

HOUSE COMMITTEE WISELY REJECTS ADDICTION BANKING AMENDMENT, ADDS ANTI-MARIJUANA PROVISION TO MUST-PASS BILL

Pot-Friendly Politicians’ Attempt to Deceive Americans Fall Short Thanks to Courageous Legislators Today, the House Appropriations Committee rejected the biggest wish of Big Marijuana, Big Banks, and Wall Street by stripping marijuana banking provisions from the FY 2025 Fiscal Services and General Government (FSGG) bill. If included, allowing the marijuana industry to access banking services would have injected billions of dollars in new investment into the pot […]

NEW HAMPSHIRE TABLES MARIJUANA BILL IN VICTORY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY

Politicians Wasted Time With Their Push to Inject More Drugs into New Hampshire’s Communities  Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton, issued the following statement today in response to the New Hampshire State House voting to table Senate-passed legislation, […]

GOVERNOR SUNUNU URGED TO SIGN BAN ON DELTA-8 THC

Legislation Combatting Dangerous THC Drugs Will Help Protect Public Health and Safety Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) President and CEO Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton, released the following statement today urging New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu to sign Senate Bill 505, which […]

SAM Friday Fact 06/14/2024: Nearly one-third of Canadians who consumed marijuana in the past 12 months reported experiencing at least one adverse health effect

The results of a survey of Canadians aged 16-65 who used marijuana in the last year were published in the study, “Adverse outcomes of cannabis use in Canada, before and after legalisation of non-medical cannabis: cross-sectional analysis of the International Cannabis Policy Study.” The survey aimed to find what percentage of these users experienced at […]

Sabet: Cannabis industry is about money, not medicine

Biden administration’s recent move to reschedule marijuana could be a big gift The Biden administration’s recent move to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III has been drawing criticism from activists on both sides of the issue. For those focused on science and medical efficacy, it’s a move that fails to recognize the growing […]

DELTA-8 THC LOOPHOLE CLOSED IN APPROPRIATIONS BILL JUST WEEKS AFTER FARM BILL AMENDMENT BANNING HEMP INTOXICANTS CLEARS AG COMMITTEE

Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) and Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) Lauded for Their Leadership on Critical Public Health and Safety Reforms (WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration advanced legislation that bans dangerous hemp-derived THC products. This language is identical to the Farm Bill […]

Easing federal marijuana rules: There’s still a long way to go

Nearly three weeks after the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration proposed loosening a federal prohibition on marijuana, the next phases of policy fights over the drug’s status are starting to take shape. Public comments, which the government is accepting on the proposal until mid-July, will likely include an analysis of the economic impact of more lenient […]

SAM Friday Fact 06/07/2024: Arizona youth survey shows youth obtain marijuana from marijuana stores

The 2022 Arizona Youth Survey State Report provided the percentage of Arizona’s 8th, 10th, and 12th graders who reported that they acquired marijuana from marijuana stores in 2018, 2020, and 2022.  In November 2010, Arizona legalized medical marijuana and on November 30th, 2020, Arizona legalized and commercialized marijuana. Between 2020 and 2022, the percentage of […]