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Connecticut Coalition Urges Senators Murphy and Blumenthal to Oppose Marijuana Banking During Vaping Crisis
Today, state lawmakers, clergy, and representatives of public health and safety organizations hosted a press conference urging Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal to join a growing chorus of voices across the nation calling on members of the United States Senate to halt efforts to extend banking and investment access to the marijuana industry amid […]
CDC: Vitamin E Found in 29 Lung Tissue Samples; More Research is Needed to Determine Source of Crisis
Today, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discussed on a call with press a breakthrough study in determining a potential cause of the marijuana vaping illness outbreak. They did not conclude the source of the crisis. After analyzing 29 lung tissue samples, the CDC state they have found vitamin E acetate in […]
USDA Guidance on Hemp is a Good Start; More is Still Needed
Today, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released draft guidelines on the cultivation and production of hemp. Smart Approaches to Marijuana president and founder Dr. Kevin Sabet released the following statement in response: “We are thankful that USDA is trying to take a careful approach in issuing guidance to farmers interested in growing hemp […]
Chicago City Council Black Caucus Raises the Alarm on Social Justice Concerns
The Chicago Sun Times reports that members of the Chicago City Council’s Black Caucus are threatening to slow walk the implementation of marijuana sales in the city due to the fact that no businesses slated to sell the substance once it is legal on January 1stare owned by people of color. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president […]
SAM Science Advisory Board Pens Letter to Congress on Vaping Crisis
Today, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), the nation’s leading nonpartisan organization advocating for science-based marijuana policy, sent a comprehensive letter to Congressional leadership outlining the fact that cases of severe respiratory illness and subsequent deaths from vaping are decisively tied to marijuana products and linked to purchases made in state “legal” stores. Additionally, the letter […]
SAM Expands Presence on Capitol Hill to Oppose Passage of Marijuana Legislation During Vaping Epidemic
Today, in its largest expansion of federal policy efforts yet, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), the largest national, nonpartisan marijuana policy group opposed to marijuana commercialization announced a partnership with Tripp and Jenn Baird of Off Hill Strategies and Luke Albee, former Chief of Staff to Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT). SAM […]
Marijuana Vaping Outbreak — Not Just a Black Market Issue
• Majority of the deaths and illness in this marijuana vaping outbreak have been connected to the use of marijuana oils. • At a time when we are investigating the causes of this rash of deaths and illnesses connected to marijuana oils and vapes, all marijuana legalization efforts and THC vaping oil sales should pause. […]
New Study: Marijuana Industry Social Media Presence Encourages Youth Use of The Drug
A study set to be published in the November issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence found that roughly one in three youth (aged 15-19) engaged with marijuana advertisements on social media. Those who engaged with said promotions were five times more likely to have reported past-year marijuana use. The study, authored by researchers including Dr. […]
Another New Study: Opioid Deaths Rising in “Legal” States
This week, a study by researchers in Oregon and California added to the foundation of data countering efforts by the marijuana industry and its promoters to paint marijuana legalization as a solution to the opioid epidemic. The study used opioid mortality data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to compare trends in opioid death […]
During a Marijuana Vaping Crisis, the U.S. House Puts Big Marijuana’s Demands Above the Interest of Public Health and Safety
Today, the United States House of Representatives passed the SAFE Banking Act, a bill to grant the marijuana industry access to the federal banking system. Notably, the bill passes the House while the nation is in the grips of a health crisis, with at least two of eight deaths and hundreds of cases of illness […]
New Hampshire Coalition Urges Congressional Delegation to Oppose Marijuana Banking Access During Health Crisis
Today, members of Smart Approaches to Marijuana New Hampshire (SAM NH) an affiliate of SAM Action, joined New Hampshire State Senator Bob Giuda, Emergency Room Physician Dr. David Strang, and Lebanon, New Hampshire Police Chief Richard Mello in urging Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, as well as Representatives Ann Kuster and Chris Pappas, to […]
New Colorado Report Shows Marijuana Harms Continue to Mount
Today, a new Colorado report compiled by the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area finds marijuana-positive traffic fatalities, hospitalizations, marijuana use, and illegal market activity have exploded since marijuana legalization. “This report, coming on the heels of the Surgeon General’s health advisory on marijuana and in the midst of a marijuana vaping crisis, piles […]