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SAM Friday Fact 4/11/2025: Canadians Support Stricter Regulations of the Marijuana Industry
A recent study published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, based on data from the International Cannabis Policy Study, found that Canadians support regulations that would better protect individuals from the marijuana industry and its products. It also determined that marijuana users, as a subgroup of the national population, were less likely to support these […]
Dr. Kevin A. Sabet in Fox News: Four important ways Trump can tackle the drug crisis and Make America Healthy Again
(FoxNews.com) President Donald Trump’s newly issued statement on drug policy priorities shows his administration has embraced the Make America Healthy Again movement as it tackles American’s top public health crisis: addiction. The next step must be to re-empower the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), elevating America’s anti-drug movement to the prominence it […]
SAM Friday Fact 4/4/2025: “Safer supply” in Canada linked to an increase in opioid overdose hospitalizations
A recent study in JAMA Health Forum found that British Columbia’s experiment with “safer supply” was associated with a statistically significant increase in opioid overdose hospitalizations. It also found that the province’s decriminalization of the possession of illicit drugs was associated with a statistically significant increase in opioid overdose hospitalizations. The study, led by Dr. […]
For “Friction”: Diving Deeper into The Ezra Klein Show
Jonathan Haidt, the author of The Anxious Generation, was recently on Ezra Klein’s podcast The Ezra Klein Show. The Anxious Generation studies the epidemic of teenage mental illness as technology like smartphones and social media become increasingly pervasive in their lives. Excessive usage of these technologies disconnects a teenager from the non-digital world: the real world. That deprivation plus […]
ON THIRD ANNIVERSARY, NEW MEXICO’S COMMERCIAL POT SALES CONTINUE TO DAMAGE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY
Lawmakers Starting to Understand the Damage Being Done, But More Reforms are Needed (SANTA FE, NM) – Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement upon the third anniversary of commercial marijuana sales in New Mexico: “New Mexico’s commercial pot marketplace has been […]
SABET: NOMINEE CARTER KNOWS WELL THE DESTRUCTION OF DRUGS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES ON INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES, COMMUNITIES AND SOCIETY
Statement from Dr. Kevin Sabet on President Donald Trump’s Nomination of Sara Carter as ONDCP Director (WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, the Trump Administration announced that Sara Carter will be nominated to lead the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). Dr. Kevin Sabet, co-founder and president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and […]
SAM Friday Fact 3/28/2025: New Marijuana Derivatives are Coming to a Town Near You
A recent study in Drug Testing and Analysis highlighted the emergence of semi-synthetic cannabinoids (SSC). While Delta-9 THC is known as the “high”-inducing cannabinoid, hundreds of others are also present in the cannabis plant, including CBD. Now, synthetic cannabinoids are being developed, which presents additional health-related risks to marijuana users. The study, which analyzed 79 […]
Retail marijuana sales legalization once again vetoed in Virginia
(WSET) — Governor Glenn Youngkin has once again vetoed a bill that would allow for a retail marijuana sales market. It was no surprise, as he has said repeatedly, that he will not sign the bill into law. Luke Niforatos, Executive Vice President at Smart Approaches to Marijuana, said the Governor’s veto is a major win […]
GLENN YOUNGKIN GETS IT: PSYCHOACTIVE DRUG SALES WILL FUEL ADDICTION, MAKE VIRGINIANS LESS SAFE
Governor’s Veto Puts Public Health Over Corporate Greed (RICHMOND, VA) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Kevin A. Sabet, Ph.D., a former three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement today in response to Governor Glenn Youngkin’s veto of legislation that would have allowed commercial sales of high-potency THC drugs and marijuana in Virginia: […]
“POT FOR POTHOLES” IS NOTHING MORE THAN SAME OLD PROPAGANDA
New Bill Peddles Big Pot’s Fantasy about Big Revenue, Ignores Massive Costs (NASHVILLE, TN) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement in response to HB0703, the “Tennessee Pot for Potholes Act,” which would legalize commercial sales of high potency marijuana to use the […]
SAM Friday Fact 3/21/2025: Marijuana Users Under the Age of 50 Were Six Times More Likely than Non-Users to Experience a Heart Attack
A recent study published in JACC Advances, which is affiliated with the American College of Cardiology, found that marijuana users under the age of 50 were six times more likely than non-users to experience a heart attack (myocardial infarction). The study, which analyzed data from more than 4.6 million individuals, also found that the risks […]
Newsweek: America’s Marijuana Legalization Experiment Is Going Up in Smoke
When marijuana legalization first started gaining momentum in the United States, it was heralded as a progressive step toward criminal justice reform, economic growth and public health benefits all at once. Advocates promised that legal cannabis would eliminate the illicit market, generate tax revenue and ensure a safe, well-regulated industry. That is not how things have turned […]