SAM’s News

“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.

“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 […]

“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 […]

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.” […]

“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 […]

“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 […]

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 […]

“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.

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 […]

“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.

“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 […]

“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 […]

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 […]

(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 […]

Listen to Dr. Kevin Sabet’s commentary here.

Listen to the clip below.

Watch the entire news segment here.

June 29, 2023 National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA)  Board of Governors                        700 W Washington Street P.O. Box 7110 Indianapolis,  Indianapolis, IN 46202-6222 Dear NCAA, CSMAS, and Division I, II, and III Leaders and Administrators, It has come to the attention of the Parent Action Network, an affiliate of Smart Approaches to Marijuana focused on supporting […]

Just days after Minnesota lawmakers narrowly passed a bill to flood the state with the drug THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, addiction profiteers made their next move by advancing another bill to create a “Psychedelic Medicine Task Force,” with the clear goal of commercializing more drugs. It’s an increasingly familiar pattern of behavior in […]

Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni June 26 is International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (ROME, ITALY) – Gripped by an unprecedented drug crisis that is devastating families and fueling profits for drug cartels, Smart Approaches to Marijuana and the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) today called on political leaders around the world to advance public policies focused on evidence-based prevention, treatment, […]

“Legalized drug crisis is harming young people far more than most realize” “The marijuana industry, which spent billions to lobby elected officials and bankroll legalization referendum campaigns, is following the playbook pioneered by Big Tobacco. They recognize that the road to big profits runs through the heaviest users. As such, they have increased potency of […]

“The worst part of marijuana is the denial,” Sabet said. Watch the full interview here.

Dr. Kevin Sabet speaks with Pat Miller about the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on the Addiction Banking Act and how S.1323 will help fuel the nation’s addiction crisis. Listen here.

(Washington, DC) — Today, President Joe Biden pardoned “all current United States citizens and lawful permanent residents who committed the offense of simple possession of marijuana in violation of the Controlled Substances Act.” Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President and CEO Dr. Kevin Sabet, the marijuana lead at the White House drug office from 2009–2011 […]