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SAM Applauds House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for Addressing Marijuana-Impaired Driving
This week, the leadership of the House of Representatives’ Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced the INVEST in America Act, a bill focusing on the completion of many infrastructure projects. A provision of this bill would mandate states that have “legalized” marijuana to raise awareness around the dangers of operating a vehicle while under the […]
Politico: Anti-pot advocate launching fight against New York legalization
By Rosa Goldensohn 08/31/2018 06:21 AM EDT A national marijuana policy activist is seeking to stem budding legalization efforts in New York, with high hopes of smoking out an industry that he says is bogarting the conversation. Kevin Sabet, who founded the group Smart Approaches to Marijuana with former Rep. Patrick Kennedy after Colorado legalized […]
DEA Announces Massive Increase in Marijuana Seizures; Mostly Driven by Illegal Grows in California
According to new data from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), there was a 42 percent increase in marijuana plant seizures from illegal grows in 2019 over the previous year with more than four million plants being seized. Of the plants seized, nearly 3.2 million were seized in California, where marijuana has been legal since […]
Connecticut Legislature to Adjourn; Marijuana Legalization Likely Defeated in 2020
It has been reported that leadership of the Connecticut Legislature have agreed to adjourn the 2020 legislative session and will meet later in the year only to consider top legislative priorities. This means the effort to legalize marijuana in the state will not move forward in 2020. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to […]
ACLU Admits Marijuana Legalization Has Not Resulted in Social Justice
A study conducted by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a group that has endorsed marijuana legalization and commercialization, finds that liberalizing marijuana policies has not delivered on one of its key promises: social justice. The study states that while marijuana decriminalization and legalization may reduce the overall amount of people arrested for possession […]
Two New Studies Add to Body of Evidence of Marijuana Commercialization’s Harms
This week, two important studies were published that continue to build upon the body of evidence that marijuana legalization and subsequent commercialization is an affront to public health and safety. The first, a review and meta-analysis with over 23,000 participants conducted by researchers from Queen’s University in Ontario and the University of Calgary and published […]
FDA Takes Action on Marijuana Business COVID-19 Claims; SAM Urges Further Action Against Unsubstantiated Claims
The FDA took enforcement action against a marijuana company for making unsubstantiated claims, including that their products had the power to cure and prevent the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. 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 praising the […]
New York State Legislature Advances Budget; SAM Applaud Lack of Marijuana Commercialization Language
New York State legislative leaders released a budget containing only essential line items pertaining to the operations of the state in response the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, state lawmakers refrained from including marijuana legalization as a part of the budget. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana New York (SAM NY) and a […]
New Study Finds Majority of “Medical” Marijuana Too Potent to Be Useful for Pain
A new study published in PLOS One, a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Public Library of Science, finds that THC concentrations in marijuana products sold in marijuana storefronts in the United States are not effective for neuropathic pain relief as they are too potent — featuring THC levels two to three times higher than […]
SAM Announces Local Control Resource Center to Aid Nationwide Opt-Out Movement
Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) announced the rollout its Local Control Resource Center, the second wave of its initiative aiding communities looking to exert local control by banning commercial marijuana operations. “Our ‘Towns and Cities Initiative’ arms local communities with the resources they need to keep their neighborhoods free of marijuana shops and large scale […]
SAM Calls on State Governors to Close Marijuana Stores to Mitigate COVID-19 Harms
Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), released the following statement urging state governors to close marijuana storefronts in attempts to both prevent the spread of COVID-19 and help mitigate potential harms to public health: “We are in contact with numerous governors across the country and have a simple message for them: […]
COVID-19 and Marijuana: What You Need to Know
SAM STATEMENT ON COVID-19 COVID-19 has rapidly spread throughout the world and though there is some confusion about the details of the disease and its spread, one thing is certain: there are populations within the United States that are particularly vulnerable. Among these vulnerable populations, reports the National Institutes on Health and National Institute on […]