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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 […]

Drug legalization was election’s biggest loser

A big loser that emerged from the election results has flown under the radar: Drugs, marijuana in particular, lost big. Florida voters rejected the corporate-drafted Amendment 3, which would have legalized nonmedical marijuana. Both North Dakota and South Dakota defeated marijuana legalization for the third straight cycle. Voters in Massachusetts rejected the legalization of psychedelics, the […]

SAM Friday Fact 11/15/2024: Increases in Youth and Young Adult Past-Month Marijuana Use Following the Legalization of Recreational Marijuana

A systematic review and meta-analysis published this month in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that the legalization of recreational marijuana is associated with increases in past-month marijuana use among adolescents and young adults. As opposed to lifetime or past-year use, past-month use is indicative of more frequent use. […]

Radical drug policies go up in smoke

Voters across the nation last week dealt a decisive blow to the reckless movement to legalize and normalize drugs. In blue and red states, voters rejected these industry-backed proposals, favoring policies that prioritize public health and safety. The mandate is clear: To treat the drug crisis, we should invest in prevention and increase access to treatment, not increase access to […]

Americans Just Said No to Drugs

Kamala Harris’s decisive loss may have grabbed the headlines, but there was another big loser in this election: drugs. In Florida, voters failed to approve a constitutional amendment that would have legalized recreational marijuana, defying both expectations and the endorsement of president-elect Donald Trump. Voters in South and North Dakota defeated legal weed initiatives, too, […]

WATCH: SAM President Dr. Kevin Sabet on NBC 6 Miami: Voters Reject Amendment 3

NBC 6 Miami spoke with Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, about voters’ rejection of Florida’s Amendment 3. WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo6GFSoWIxM

SAM Friday Fact 11/08/2024: Voters Stand Against Marijuana & Drug Legalization in Four States

November 5, 2024, marked an historic night for the movement to oppose the legalization and commercialization of mind-altering substances. In the four states that voted on recreational drug use, all four rejected the industry-backed proposals, favoring policies that prioritize public health and safety.  In Florida, voters defeated Amendment 3, which would have legalized recreational marijuana […]

Drug legalization takes massive hit in state referenda

“Voters by wide margins rejected the legalization of drugs like marijuana and psychedelics from red Florida to blue Massachusetts,” Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions and Smart Approaches to Marijuana President Kevin Sabet said in a statement on the elections. “We expect this Administration to listen to this message loud and clear: More drugs are not […]