Latest News
Legalization Bills Defeated in New Hampshire
By a vote a 14-7, the New Hampshire House Criminal Justice & Public Safety Committee voted to “retain” two bills to expand marijuana use in the state, effectively ending any chance at either bill passing this year. The move represents a multi-year trend of public health and safety advocates defeating the efforts of the marijuana […]
Coalition of Virginia Substance Abuse, Medical Professionals & Law Enforcement Urge Lawmakers to Oppose Marijuana Commercialization
A coalition of Virginia substance abuse prevention professionals, health and safety advocates, and representatives of state law enforcement hosted a virtual press conference announcing the launch of their combined opposition to an effort to commercialize marijuana in this year’s legislative session. “The push to commercialize marijuana in Virginia is being presented as a move for […]
SAM Responds to Governor Cuomo’s Budget Proposal
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled his proposed state budget, which featured a projection of $300 million in revenue from marijuana commercialization. In response, Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and its New York affiliate, SAM New York, released the following statement: “At this time, marijuana should be the furthest thing […]
California Upholds Judge’s Ruling Banning Marijuana Billboards; SAM Rejoices
A California judge just affirmed a ruling from last week stating marijuana companies in the state will no longer be able to advertise their products on billboards along interstate highways. Given the overwhelming amount of research that finds that exposure to marijuana advertising greatly increases the likelihood of youth marijuana use, this should be considered […]
SAM Releases Drug Policy Recommendations for Biden Administration; Congratulates ReGina LaBelle
Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), the nation’s leading organization opposed to the commercialization of marijuana, released a comprehensive roadmap for the Biden Administration centered on the President-Elect’s marijuana policy position and the platform of the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force. The release of the report coincides with today’s swearing-in of former White House Office of National […]
Massive Study: Marijuana Use in Vets Overwhelmingly Associated with Negative Outcomes
A systematic review of over 500 studies on marijuana use and military veterans published in the journal Clinical Psychology Review — the first of its kind — found that marijuana use among veterans was associated with primarily negative outcomes such as other substance abuse, mental health issues, and instances of self-harm/suicidality. The review stated that […]
New HHS Data Shows Significant Youth Drug Use Increases in Legalized States
State-level data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the most authoritative study on drug use conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA), found significant increases in youth marijuana use in several recently legalized marijuana states versus last year. At the same time, mental illness indicators worsened across the country […]
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont Calls for Marijuana Legalization in State of State Address; SAM Responds
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont called upon the state to commercialize marijuana during his annual State of the State address. 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: “In the midst of an unprecedented respiratory pandemic and […]
SAM Responds to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Call for Legalization
As part of the rollout of his agenda for the year, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has renewed his call to commercialize marijuana. Dr. Kevin Sabet, former senior drug policy advisor to the Obama Administration and president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and its NYS affiliate, SAM New York, released the following statement in […]
Benchmark Youth Drug Use Survey Finds Ongoing Upward Trends in Daily Marijuana Use Over Time, While Other Use Remains Steady Versus 2019
New data released today from the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future study has found stagnant levels of drug use among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders this year, but several statistics were nonetheless alarming. Increases in daily marijuana use among 12th graders continue to trend upwards, at 6.9% in 2020, versus 5.8% in 2018. And […]
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 […]