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OHIO POT SALES WON’T LIVE UP TO THE HYPE, WILL MAKE ADDICTION CRISIS WORSE

Despite Promises, Marijuana Legalization Will Not Be a Benefit to Ohio’s Communities (COLUMBUS, OH) –– As retail sales of commercially-produced marijuana and high-potency THC-infused drugs begin this week in Ohio, Dr. Kevin Sabet, President and CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton, released […]

SAM Friday Fact 08/02/2024: The Rise of Big Tobacco 2.0 – Marijuana Use Rises as Tobacco Use Declines

This week, SAMHSA released the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which is the leading federal estimate of trends in drug, tobacco, and alcohol use. While there are many data points that will likely appear in future versions of the Friday Fact, today’s edition focuses on the number of monthly users of […]

MINNESOTA QUICKLY BECOMING A CAUTIONARY TALE AS ADDICTION-FOR-PROFIT INDUSTRY PREYS ON THE STATE

Higher Usage Rates, Flood in Poison Control Calls Likely to Continue Following Full-Scale Marijuana Commercialization (ST. PAUL, MN) – As Minnesota reaches the one-year mark of full-scale commercial sales of pot and THC-infused drugs, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former three-time White House drug policy advisor, issued the following statement about the serious […]

THE ADDICTED STATES OF AMERICA: NEW NATIONAL SURVEY SHOWS TODAY’S MARIJUANA IS MORE ADDICTIVE, MORE DANGEROUS THAN EVER BEFORE

More Than 15 Million Americans Are Using THC-Laced Drugs Daily (WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Clinton, and Bush, issued the following statement today in response to the release of the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) from the U.S. […]

Marijuana could be rescheduled: Breaking down what this means for Virginia

The federal government is looking at rescheduling cannabis, meaning fewer restrictions for the plant and the industry. The proposal received thousands of comments and now experts are weighing in.  According to the DEA, the drugs currently are classified on a scale of one to five. President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, Dr. Kevin Sabet, said rescheduling […]

Marijuana Rescheduling

The scheduling of drugs is not a “harm index” or directly used to determine criminal penalties for drugs. Scheduling is not synonymous with the danger of a drug. Rather, it is a technical legal term that categorizes drugs according to their potential for abuse and accepted medical value.

SAM Friday Fact 07/26/2024: Impact of Prenatal Marijuana Use on Maternal Health Outcomes

A recent study in JAMA Internal Medicine, “Prenatal Cannabis Use and Maternal Pregnancy Outcomes,” assessed the degree to which prenatal marijuana use was associated with maternal health outcomes during pregnancy. The article used two types of sample groups for this study: pregnant women that used marijuana and pregnant women that did not use marijuana. Drawing […]

Kamala Harris’ stance on marijuana has certainly evolved. Here’s what to know.

In the hours after President Joe Biden endorsed Kamala Harris to take his place atop the Democratic ticket in the 2024 presidential race, Americans began hastily searching for information about the vice president’s stance on various issues – including the legalization of marijuana. Harris’ position on weed has evolved over her years in public service, becoming more progressive as she […]

SAM Files Public Comment Urging DEA Administrator to Reject Marijuana Rescheduling

Comment Explains Rescheduling Is Out of Step With Past Reviews; Marijuana Still Fails to Meet “Currently Accepted Medical Use” Standards; Move Would Inflict Wide-Ranging Health and Mental Health Consequences (WASHINGTON, DC) – Calling it “the most significant rescheduling decision in the history of the Controlled Substances Act,” Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) filed its formal objection to the […]

SAM Friday Fact 07/19/2024: Florida & Major Counties Report Sharp Rises in Marijuana Poison Exposures After Medical Marijuana Legalization

From 2016 to 2023, Florida’s Poison Control Centers collected poison exposure data throughout the state, reported on a county level. This report focuses on all types of marijuana poison exposures statewide and in Florida’s six most populous counties. The types of marijuana poison exposures included edibles, dried plants, concentrated extracts, synthetic marijuana, and other or unknown […]

Denver urges federal government to reschedule marijuana

City submitted its official public comment as federal officials move toward rescheduling marijuana from schedule I to schedule III drug As the federal government takes steps toward rescheduling marijuana, Denver wants to make sure it’s part of the conversation. Before the federal government can reschedule marijuana, it must go through a lengthy rulemaking process, which […]

The Times of London: I know cannabis isn’t safe: it made me stab my friend to death

A woman in California who became a killer while gripped by psychosis says companies selling the drug legally are hiding the truth about its effects When Bryn Spejcher watched the police bodycam footage, she did not recognise the woman she saw. The 33-year-old saw herself, deranged and frenzied, stabbing her body and then her service […]