Latest News
SAM: Griffith’s Hemp Regulation Bid is Backdoor Weed Legalization
Washington, DC—Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) condemns legislation introduced by Reps. Morgan Griffith (VA) and Marc Veasey (TX): the Hemp Enforcement, Modernization, and Protection (HEMP) Act. “Make no mistake: This is simply an attempt at backdoor marijuana legalization,” said SAM CEO Kevin Sabet. “Again and again, we hear the same argument: that we can somehow regulate our way to safety around these dangerous drugs. […]
SAM: This Maternal Health Awareness Day, Remember How Badly Weed Hurts Mothers and Children
Washington, DC—Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) highlights the dangers of marijuana to mothers and their children on this Maternal Health Awareness Day—a danger backed up by the best data and recognized by leading medical associations. “One of the most worrying trends around marijuana is its use by expectant and new mothers,” said SAM CEO Kevin Sabet. “Thanks […]
SAM Applauds Major Appropriations Bill Text Win For Public Health on Federal Ad Rules
Washington, DC—Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) applauds major victories for public health in Congressional appropriations language from the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Committee and the Labor, Health, and Human Services Committee, including crucial SAM-authored language in the bill text barring the use of federal dollars on PSA-advertising that encourages drug use. “We are delighted to see that Congress is fighting to make […]
Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy & SAM: Sports Betting Is Pouring Gasoline on the Fire of Our Country’s Problems with Mental Health and Addiction
Washington, DC—Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) celebrates the publication today of Danny Funt’s major new book on sports betting and addiction, Everybody Loses, from Simon & Schuster. “As the author of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, I have had the honor of leading an effort to ensure people can gain access to mental health and addiction treatment,” […]
SAM: Cuts to SAMHSA Prevention and Recovery Grantees are Cuts to Public Health
Washington, DC—Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) condemns the Trump Administration’s recent cuts to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s grants to vital prevention and recovery organizations that are doing effective anti-drug work. “SAMHSA grants to prevention, recovery, and related organizations play a crucial role in stopping the demand for dangerous drugs and addiction. This work literally saves lives,” said SAM CEO Kevin A. Sabet. “These cuts will hurt […]
SAM Congratulates Sara Carter Bailey on Her Appointment as Director of ONDCP
Washington, DC—Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) congratulates Sara Carter Bailey on her confirmation by the Senate as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. “Congratulations to Sara Carter Bailey on her confirmation as the drug czar,” said SAM President and CEO Kevin Sabet. “Sara is a strong, clear-voiced advocate for sane public health policy. […]
SAM Condemns President Trump’s Decision to Move Marijuana into Schedule III
WASHINGTON, DC—Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) condemns in the strongest possible terms President Donald Trump’s decision to buckle under industry pressure and finalize the Biden-era rule to downgrade marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. SAM President, Dr. Kevin Sabet, released the following statement: “This rule, if finalized, will herald a public health disaster. It’s a full betrayal of the […]
SAM Action Makes Six-Figure TV Ad Buy Urging President Trump to Reject Biden-Era Marijuana Rescheduling Plan
A SAM Action television ad warns that moving marijuana to Schedule III would let CCP-backed and Mexican cartels launder profits and hurt Americans. WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, SAM Action, the (c)4 arm of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, the nation’s leading organization opposing the commercialization of addictive marijuana products, announced a six-figure national television ad buy urging […]
Want to join the backlash against Big Weed?
From coast to coast, Americans increasingly are rejecting marijuana. Gallup data shows support for legal weed falling to historic lows. SAM is working hard in states across the country to advance real public health. A ballot iniative (which SAM supported) to end legal sales in Massachusetts recently drew more than 74,000 signers. In towns and […]
PROFILE OF KEVIN: More dangerous than ever, modern drugs have spiraled out of control
The original version of this article appeared in exxpress. At the MCC Budapest Summit on the global drug epidemic, exxpress spoke with Kevin Sabet. He is the president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a long-time advisor to several U.S. presidential administrations and one of the most well-known experts in drug policy. Immediately after his keynote—in which he described the […]
Kevin Sabet: Hungary’s Zero-Tolerance Policy on Drugs Is Exemplary
Hungary’s drug policy is “an example because it’s a very clear message and nobody can be confused about what the law says. I don’t necessarily think people should be imprisoned for years for having a joint, but we need not be encouraging that behavior, which is what legalization or decriminalization can do,” Dr. Kevin Sabet […]
SAM ANNOUNCES NEW YORK AD CAMPAIGN: “WHAT IS MARIJUANA?”
To educate New Yorkers about the harms of marijuana use, particularly the use of high-potency THC drugs, Smart Approaches to Marijuana has launched alongside our New York Impact Report a new awareness campaign: WHAT IS MARIJUANA? It’s a question more policymakers and legislators should have asked before deciding to create the Empire State’s legal market. […]