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MORE Act Passes House in Useless Show Vote; Bill Faces Zero Support in Senate & White House
The United States House of Representatives passed the MORE Act, a bill to federally legalize marijuana. Despite bipartisan opposition, the bill reached the threshold needed to pass. Notably, more Democrats voted against the bill than Republicans voted in support of it. The lame-duck vote comes months after mounting criticism from both Democrats and Republicans forced House […]
Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission Report References Negative Outcomes of Marijuana Legalization; Legalization Not Among List of Drug Policy Recommendations
On Tuesday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee released a comprehensive report on drug policy compiled by the congressionally mandated Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission, composed of a small handful of appointees, including former Obama Administration officials and Members of Congress. The report provided a list of policy recommendations for the upcoming administration to help improve […]
United Nations Votes to Reclassify Marijuana Derivatives for Medical Purposes, Marijuana Still Illegal Under International Law
The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs narrowly voted by 27-25-1 to reclassify medically approved derivatives of the marijuana plant, recognizing such non-smoked medications as Epidiolex within the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. Marijuana remains in the Schedule I classification alongside cocaine and opioids, meaning the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs has not approved of […]
Former Drug Czars Join 70+ Public Health Organizations in Letter to Biden-Harris Transition on ONDCP
A coalition comprised of the leadership of more than sixty public health and substance abuse organizations in the United States sent a letter to President-Elect Joe Biden and his transition team urging the President-Elect to focus on reprioritizing the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and re-elevate the Director of the ONDCP to its […]
Statement Congratulating Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on Presidential Election
(Washington, D.C.) – According to multiple media outlets, Joseph R. Biden, Jr. has secured more than 270 Electoral College votes and is now officially the president-elect. Accordingly, Dr. Kevin Sabet — president and co-founder of the non-partisan organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a former senior drug policy advisor to the Obama Administration — […]
SAM Releases Fourth Annual Report on Harms of Marijuana Legalization
Ahead of the first presidential debate, Smart Approaches to Marijuana — the nation’s largest non-profit dedicated to opposing marijuana commercialization — released its fourth annual report on the impact of marijuana legalization today, as well as a companion guide designed to educate candidates for office on marijuana policy. “In pot legal states, stoned driving is […]
House Leadership Cancels Vote on Marijuana Legalization Bill
Today, after weeks of pushback, House Democratic leaders canceled a vote on the MORE Act, a bill to federally legalize and commercialize marijuana. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a former senior drug policy advisor to the Obama Administration released the following statement in response: “This is a massive victory […]
Monitoring the Future: Marijuana use among young adults has reached an all-time high
Marijuana use among young adults (aged 18-28) has reached an all-time high according to new data from the largest, most comprehensive drug use survey of students in the United States. The Monitoring the Future survey, compiled by researchers at the University of Michigan and funded by the National Institutes of Health, is the benchmark for […]
Coalition of Thirty Groups Send Letter in Opposition to MORE Act to US House Leadership
Today, a coalition of social justice, drug prevention, recovery, family, and faith organizations penned a joint letter to the leadership of the United States House of Representatives strongly opposing the MORE Act, a bill to federally legalize the commercial marijuana industry that is tentatively scheduled for a vote the week of September 21st. According to […]
New HHS Data Shows Marijuana Usage Increases Across the Board, Especially Youth Marijuana Addiction
US Health Department also singles out Colorado in its report for the state’s high weed use and addiction rates, as well as its co-occurring mental illness problems with marijuana On Friday, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released the 2019 Annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the most comprehensive survey […]
Marijuana Workforce Positivity Rates Skyrocketing in Legal States
National data released by Quest Diagnostics found that rates of marijuana positivity in the workforce have sharply risen both over the last year (2018-2019) and since legalization was implemented. Furthermore, Quest Diagnostics also reported that workforce drug positivity hit a sixteen-year high in 2019. “While overall workforce drug positivity rates have risen only slightly over […]
SAM Decries Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s Call for Legalization Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Today, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced his fall legislative agenda, which included a call for the legislature to commercialize marijuana to fund “business grants and restorative justice.” Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former Obama Administration advisor and president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), the nation’s largest non-profit dedicated to opposing marijuana commercialization, released the following […]