SAM’s News
SAM: UNREGULATED THC OILS AREN’T MEDICINE
PHARMACIES SELLING ILLICIT DRUGS RISK HEALTH AND SAFETY FOR CONSUMERS New Regulations Would Turn Pharmacies into Pot Shops Without Community Input (WASHINGTON, DC) – Despite the longstanding position of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which maintain that marijuana is a Schedule I drug that does not have […]
KHON: Experts debate legalizing recreational marijuana in Hawaii
The organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) said medical cannabis is already legal for patients who need it in Hawaii. The president of SAM said recreational cannabis is a totally different topic. “It’s about fundamentally changing your community,” said SAM president Kevin Sabet, “you know, do you want to see a pot shop and smell […]
DESPITE INDUSTRY’S CLAIMS, PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS, NEW STUDY SHOWS HIGH RATE OF MARIJUANA ADDICTION
(WASHINGTON, DC) — Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), the nation’s leading drug policy organization focused on protecting Americans from the addiction industry, released the following statement in reaction to the release of a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association Open Network of data from nearly 1,500 primary care patients in Washington State, where marijuana and […]
MARYLAND – WELLS FARGO DRUG MONEY PARTNERSHIP DESERVES GREATER SCRUTINY
Big Banks, Big Marijuana Searching for New Ways to Skirt Federal Law, Protect Drug Dealers (WASHINGTON, DC) – Wells Fargo, the nation’s fourth largest bank, is looking to supersize its operation by becoming the official bank for drug money in Maryland. Big Banks partnering with Big Marijuana isn’t new, despite the claims of pro-addiction activists. […]
RAMASWAMY IGNORES THE SCIENCE AND DATA, BACKS ADDICTION-FOR-PROFIT INDUSTRY
GOP Hopeful Backs Expanding Drug Use Despite Damning Medical Data, Skyrocketing Rates of Use (WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), the nation’s leading marijuana policy organization, issued the following response today to Republican Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s decision to support the federal legalization of THC drugs produced from marijuana. “Parents, medical professionals and law […]
BUD LIGHT FIASCO’S COLLATERAL DAMAGE: EXPANDING THE MARIJUANA DRINK INDUSTRY
Sale of Eight Beer Brands by Faltering Anheuser-Busch to Major Marijuana Drug Company Risks Diluting Regulations Leading to More Dangerous, Drinkable Drug Products (WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), released the following statement today in response to Anheuser-Busch’s sale of eight of its brands including Shock Top, Blue Point, Breckenridge Brewery, Redhook Brewery and HiBall […]
Luke Niforatos on Public Radio from UA Little Rock
Luke Niforatos, executive vice president with the group Smart Approaches to Marijuana, says lawmakers made the right decision in banning the chemicals. “There’s very little regulation, if any, going on with these products. We don’t know what’s in them… some of the research has shown [products] to have heavy metals, pesticides,” Niforatos said. “So it’s […]
MINNESOTANS SHOULD PREPARE FOR THE CONSEQUENCES AS MARIJUANA PRODUCTS BECOME LEGAL
Lawmakers Knew the Risks to Public Health and Safety, Now They Bear Responsibility FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 31, 2023 Media Contact: Bob Driscollbob@learnaboutsam.org716-307-7406 (ST. PAUL, MN) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former Obama drug policy advisor, released the following statement in advance of marijuana and THC-infused drugs […]
Pa.’s pot push won’t be the boon that’s claimed
“Over the last decade, the drive to legalize marijuana has been the subject of a significant public relations campaign. Throughout the country, the push to erase any stigma associated with marijuana has essentially become part of contemporary pop culture. In a vast effort to influence perceptions, musicians, actors, media personalities, and professional athletes have endorsed […]
As NC lawmakers debate medical marijuana, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to vote on recreational use
“While lawmakers in Raleigh are divided over medical marijuana, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will vote later this summer whether to allow it for recreational use on tribal land.” Read the entire article, here.
Dr. Kevin Sabet in CQ Researcher
“In states bucking the federal law banning marijuana, legalization has ushered in an unprecedented level of normalization and commercialization. There are now more daily users of THC products than daily users of alcohol, and usage among young adults is at the highest level ever. In the last 10 years, the number of marijuana users increased by more than […]
SAM’s Luke Niforatos in New Mexico’s KRQE: No federal background checks on New Mexico cannabis applicants
“This is why we don’t ram through legislation in a Special Session before anybody can spot problems with the bill because then we have stuff like this come out,” says Luke Niforatos, Vice-President of the advocacy group S.A.M. (Smart Approaches to Marijuana). “Your viewers should be very concerned about the fact that (the state is) not looking […]
SAM’s Luke Niforatos in the Charlotte Observer
Q&A: Anti-marijuana group explains opposition to NC bill “Many have been asking why we led the campaign that has so far deterred passage of N.C. Senate Bill 3, the bill that sought to legalize “medical marijuana.” The answer is simple: marijuana is not approved by the FDA “for the treatment of any disease or condition.” […]
PA Politicians’ Pot Push Won’t Be the Boon They Claim
“Over the last decade, the drive to legalize marijuana has been the subject of a significant public relations campaign. Throughout the country, the push to erase any stigma associated with marijuana has essentially become part of contemporary pop culture. In a vast effort to influence perceptions, musicians, actors, media personalities, and professional athletes have endorsed […]
PERSPECTIVE: Pot’s honeymoon is over
“Given the harm the marijuana industry exacts on public health and public safety, as well as the environment, there’s reason to welcome a reduction in influence,” said Luke Niforatos. “We can only hope the related consequences of use might also begin to subside. That’s an outcome people on both sides of the marijuana debate should […]
CONGRESS REJECTS RELAXING MILITARY DRUG POLICY, TELLS THE ADDICTION INDUSTRY AND WORLD WE’RE COMMITTED TO A STRONG MILITARY FORCE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 13, 2023 Media Contact: Bob Driscollbob@learnaboutsam.org716-307-7406 Lawmakers Reject NDAA Amendments Allowing Use of THC Drugs by Military Recruits, Other Dangerous Proposals (WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton, released the following statement today in […]
NC House Speaker says he doesn’t see medical marijuana legalization happening this year
“Marijuana isn’t medicine. It’s not approved to treat any illness. So-called medical marijuana is the industry’s way of getting a foothold in a state that they can then use to create an open THC drug market,” said Luke Niforatos, executive vice president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, in a statement. Read the entire article, here.
Dr. Kevin Sabet speaks with the Florida Phoenix about Biden and marijuana legalization
DeSantis won’t decriminalize cannabis if elected POTUS; would any other candidate? Florida Phoenix “The science hasn’t change since the last time they reviewed this for Schedule I — the science has gotten worse; about psychosis, schizophrenia, the potency — if they’re going to stick to the science, I don’t see the scheduling changing,” he said […]
Is NC’s medical marijuana bill dead? A sponsor says no, but opponents are celebrating
“Marijuana isn’t medicine. It’s not approved to treat any illness. So-called medical marijuana is the industry’s way of getting a foothold in a state that they can then use to create an open THC drug market,” said Luke Niforatos, executive vice president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana. Read the entire article, here.
Group against legalized medical marijuana in North Carolina claim victory
“You literally have Altria, the largest tobacco company in the country that is one of the largest investors in the marijuana industry. They’re the ones that are leading the charge to legalize marijuana in many states like Virginia and also at the federal level. I think the more we realize that this is a ploy […]
SAM’s Luke Niforatos quoted in the Denver Gazette
“Big Marijuana profited off of increased addiction and use throughout COVID-19 lockdowns and the isolation that so many Coloradans felt during those years,” Niforatos told The Denver Gazette in a prior interview. “What we are seeing now is likely a return to the pre-pandemic average use. This decrease should be celebrated, but we need to […]
NORTH CAROLINA DODGES A BULLET FROM POT INDUSTRY
Lawmakers See Through Medical Marijuana Ruse That is a Backdoor to Full Commercial THC Industry FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 7, 2023 Media Contact: Bob Driscoll bob@learnaboutsam.org716-307-7406 (RALEIGH, NC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana: North Carolina (SAM Action NC) released the following statement today praising North Carolina lawmakers as “medical marijuana” fails to advance in the current session of […]
CONGRESSMAN GAETZ’S POT PROPOSAL FLIES IN THE FACE OF THE LAW, WOULD ENDANGER U.S. FORCES AND WEAKEN OUR MILITARY
(WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action)released the following statement today in response to Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz’s irrational proposal to solve military recruitment deficits by ending drug testing for THC, the psychoactive component extracted from marijuana. “Use of THC drugs by military recruits has surged 33 percent in recent years and […]
Dr. Kevin Sabet on Fox News radio
Listen to Dr. Kevin Sabet’s commentary here.