Latest News
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 […]
Big Marijuana, Big Money, Big Politics Part Two: New York
New York serves as an interesting case study with regard to marijuana money and legalization. Despite the cash that industry proponents poured into politics leading up to this year’s crucial debate, marijuana legalization was not passed. The state currently has a comprehensive medical marijuana program, and new legislation, under the guise of social justice, would […]
Purdue Pharma Declares Bankruptcy
Former senior drug policy advisor to President Barack Obama, Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) released the following response to Purdue Pharmaceuticals’ announcement it has filed for bankruptcy protection in the wake of more than 2,000 lawsuits and billions in potential payouts in connection to the nation’s opioid crisis. Purdue is […]
SAM Unveils Latest Data on Marijuana Industry Donations
Today, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), the nation’s leading, non-partisan non-profit dedicated to opposing marijuana commercialization and holding Big Marijuana accountable, released a thoroughly renovated database with the most up-to-date information available on political contributions made by the marijuana industry to federal elected officials. The database now includes donations from K Street lobbying firms that […]
In Wake of Recent Vaping Crisis, Trump Administration Must Enact National Moratorium on THC Vape Products
Vaping of High-Potency THC Products Carries Significant Physical, Mental Health Risks for Users In response to a growing national crisis over the tragic deaths and hospitalizations of hundreds of people from lung infections associated with e-cigarette products, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former senior drug policy advisor to President Obama, […]
Big Marijuana, Big Money, Big Politics: Part One — Illinois
In the past year, the legalization of recreational and medical marijuana has dominated conversations on drug policy across the nation. At the local level, states pushing for marijuana are encouraging a federal reckoning with the legality of the drug. Pro-pot legislators have protested the lackadaisical attitude of the federal government, asserting that the states are […]
New Study: Marijuana Use Linked to Suicidal Thoughts and Behavior for PTSD Sufferers
A study published in Depression & Anxiety found marijuana use among military personnel with PTSD symptoms may lead to suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This study builds on a foundation of research signaling that marijuana use among veterans suffering from symptoms of PTSD could cause worse outcomes. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana […]
Top Administration Officials Sound Alarm on “Mounting Body of Evidence” of Sweeping Harms of Marijuana Normalization on Pregnant Women and Youth
In the most significant event on marijuana policy during the Trump Administration, today the Department of Health and Human Services issued significant warnings regarding the physical and mental health implications of marijuana commercialization. During a press conference about marijuana broadly, government officials decried the normalization of marijuana and the harmful messages Americans are receiving on […]
New Mexico Governor’s Marijuana Working Group Features Heavy Big Marijuana Influence
(Santa Fe, NM) – On August 14th, the Governor’s Working Group on Cannabis Legalization convened for the first time. This group, established by New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, is tasked with crafting legislation to legalize marijuana in the upcoming legislative session. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a former […]