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The Beacon: Kansas City cannabis companies’ wish for the new year: Lower federal taxes

Luke Niforatos, executive vice president at Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a nonprofit that  opposes marijuana legalization, is staunchly against rescheduling cannabis. He agreed that the move would likely help the industry’s bottom line. And as far as he’s concerned, that’s the problem. “Marijuana, if anything, has gotten more harmful since states started legalizing it,” Niforatos […]

CALIFORNIA’S COMMERCIAL POT SALES CONTINUE TO DAMAGE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement in advance of the anniversary of commercial marijuana sales in California:  “Trends across the nation have universally shown that sales of today’s high-potency marijuana and THC-infused drugs are resulting in more THC-related […]

ILLINOIS’ COMMERCIAL POT SALES CONTINUE TO DAMAGE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY

(SPRINGFIELD, IL) – Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement in advance of the anniversary of commercial marijuana sales in Illinois:  “Trends across the nation have universally shown that sales of today’s high-potency marijuana and THC-infused drugs are resulting in more THC-related […]

MONTANA’S COMMERCIAL POT SALES CONTINUE TO DAMAGE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY

(HELENA, MT) – Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM)and a three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement in advance of the anniversary of commercial marijuana sales in Montana:  “Trends across the nation have universally shown that sales of today’s high-potency marijuana and THC-infused drugs are resulting in more THC-related […]

COLORADO’S COMMERCIAL POT SALES CONTINUE TO DAMAGE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY

(DENVER, CO) – Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM)and a three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement in advance of the anniversary of commercial marijuana sales in Colorado:  “Trends across the nation have universally shown that sales of today’s high-potency marijuana and THC-infused drugs are resulting in more THC-related […]

LATEST FEDERAL DATA SPOTLIGHTS MARIJUANA AS A LEADING CAUSE FOR DRUG-RELATED EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISITS

(Washington, D.C.) – New data released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) in its 2023 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) report shows that marijuana is now second in frequency for emergency department (ED) visits, only after alcohol. The report further finds that there were more instances of marijuana ED visits in 2023 than […]

DANGEROUS AND PERVASIVE POT USE CONTINUES DESPITE INDUSTRY CLAIMS IT ISN’T MARKETING TO YOUNG PEOPLE

As the addiction industry and its pro-drug allies continue to spend big on commercial pot and THC drugs, the annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) Survey conducted by the University of Michigan and funded by the National Institutes of Health, shows that young people across the nation are starting to heed warnings the dangers by increasingly abstaining. However, […]

SAM/FDPS ADDRESS AFRICAN UNION, MEET WITH WORLD LEADERS IN ARUSHA

International Drug Policy Experts Share Warnings About the Dangers of Drug Legalization and Promote Good Policy in the African Continent (ARUSHA, TANZANIA) – As leaders from dozens of members countries convene at the African Union’s Continental Consultation on Drug Demand, international drug policy experts from Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) are […]

HOUSE DITCHES MISGUIDED MARIJUANA TESTING BAN FOR MILITARY RECRUITS IN NDAA

(WASHINGTON, DC) – This weekend, the House and Senate jointly agreed to cut a controversial provision prohibiting marijuana testing for military recruits out of the National Defense Authorization Act. After the House included the ban, led by former Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) worked to neutralize the language in the […]

Voters say no more marijuana — Congress should take note 

On Nov. 5, voters in red and blue states alike delivered historic election results and rightfully rejected marijuana and psychedelic legalization ballot measures. In Florida, legalization was defeated by 4 points despite pro-marijuana groups investing over $150 million in the race. North Dakotans refused legalization by 5 points, giving addiction to marijuana its third loss in a […]

Trump’s promise to fix the fentanyl crisis appealed to voters and alarmed experts

Over the last four years, as street fentanyl overdose deaths surged, the Biden administration scrambled to fund addiction treatment programs and expand use of opioid-treatment medications like buprenorphine and naloxone. There are signs those efforts may be helping, with fatal overdoses dropping 14.5% over the last year. But during the campaign that led to President-elect Donald Trump’s […]

DEA faces legal challenge as uncertainty clouds plan to reclassify marijuana

As the federal government considers loosening restrictions on marijuana, the Drug Enforcement Administration is scheduled to convene a court hearing to flesh out the Biden administration’s historic policy shift. But cannabis-reform advocates this week asked a judge to remove the DEA from its own hearing, arguing the agency has improperly communicated with antimarijuana groups in […]