Latest News
Statement from SAM Action and SAM Maine on Maine Legislature Overturning Gov. LePage’s Veto of Marijuana Legalization Bill
Regulatory body will likely be slow to roll-out implementation, local opposition will continue [Augusta, ME] – Today, SAM and SAM Maine released this statement on the Maine Legislature’s vote to override Governor LePage’s veto on a bill legalizing marijuana. Bill 1719 will now become law, but it is unlikely that Governor LePage will push to […]
BREAKING: Marijuana Legalization Defeated Again in Vermont
BREAKING: Marijuana Legalization Defeated Again in Vermont National Marijuana Policy Group Applauds Defeat of Marijuana Commercialization in Vermont For Immediate Release: Monday, April 30, 2018 Contact: Colton Grace Colton@learnaboutsam.org 864-492-6719 [Montpelier, VT] – On Friday, the Vermont House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to kill a bill that would have fully legalized the commercialization of marijuana. […]
SAM Summit Wrap-Up
A big thank you to everyone who made the trip to Atlanta, GA for our 5th Annual Smart Approaches to Marijuana Summit! As SAM Founder and President Dr. Kevin Sabet said during his opening remarks, those who are standing up and pushing back against the commercialization and normalization of marijuana are on the right side […]
BREAKING: On “4/20,” Leading Marijuana Policy Group Highlights Harms of Marijuana With Former Congressman Patrick Kennedy & Medical, Legal, and Government Experts at National Press Club
[Washington, DC] – Today, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) officials, including a former Congressman and the nation’s first African-American magistrate judge, joined members of the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus, faith-based leaders, researchers from the National Institutes of Health, and other public health and safety experts at a press conference warning about the dangers of marijuana and […]
BREAKING: New Study Finds Marijuana Legalization Will Cost Illinois $670 Million
Today, the day before the unofficial “marijuana holiday,” Healthy and Productive Illinois (HPIL) – a project of Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) – released a comprehensive working paper on the projected costs of legalization in Illinois, finding that legalization would cost the state $670.5 million, far outweighing estimated tax revenue projections of approximately $566 million. The report will be released […]
Statement from SAM President Kevin Sabet Regarding Reported Deal Between President Trump and Senator Cory Gardner
Contact: Colton Grace Colton@learnaboutsam.org (864) 492-6719 [Alexandria, VA] – Today, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) issued the following statement from SAM President Dr. Kevin Sabet in response to a reported deal between President Donald Trump and Senator Cory Gardner to protect Colorado’s marijuana industry from federal law: “This discussion is far from over. In the […]
Statement from SAM President Kevin Sabet Regarding New Studies Purporting Marijuana Legalization As Aid to Opioid Epidemic
[Alexandria, VA] – Today, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) issued the following statement from SAM President Dr. Kevin Sabet in response to two new studies that purport to show marijuana legalization as an aid to the opioid epidemic: “These studies fall into the same logical fallacy as other similar studies. First, they do not show directly that […]
NJ-RAMP Coalition Members To Testify At NJ Legislative Black Caucus Hearing On Marijuana Legalization
Elizabeth, NJ — Today, New Jersey Responsible Approaches to Marijuana and Smart Approaches to Marijuana officials will testify at a New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus hearing on marijuana legalization. WHO: New Jersey Responsible Approaches to Marijuana Policy (NJ-RAMP) Coalition Members, including: Kevin Sabet, PhD., President of SAM and NJ affiliate NJ-RAMP, former drug policy advisor […]
SAM Action and Partners Force Stalemate on Pro-Pot Appropriations Riders
(Alexandria, VA) – Today, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) Founder and President Dr. Kevin A. Sabet released the following statement in response to the release of the text of the Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus Appropriations Act: “SAM Action and its partners in public health, research, law enforcement, drug prevention, family, treatment and recovery made significant progress […]
Comprehensive Study Finds Marijuana Legalization Drives Youth Use, Crime Rates, The Black Market, And Harms Communities Of Color
Dramatic Increases in Fatal Drugged Driving Crashes, Workplace Accidents, Arrest Rates, Black Market Activity in States That Have Legalized Marijuana (Alexandria, VA) – Today, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), the leading, nonpartisan U.S. organization offering a science-based approach to marijuana policy, released the most comprehensive study to date today entitled: Lessons from Marijuana Legalization in […]
Marijuana Accountability Coalition Unveils “Brought To You By The Pot Industry!” Top 5 Recipients of Big Marijuana Money
These Legislators are Putting Profits Before Public Health (Denver, CO) – Today, The Marijuana Accountability Coalition (MAC) unveiled the results of the “Brought to You by the Pot Industry” campaign. This campaign sought to expose the top recipients of money from the pot industry as it works to become the next Big Tobacco. These lawmakers […]
New Poll Offers False Dichotomy, Skews Illinois Voters’ View On Marijuana
Poll presents voters with only two options on marijuana policy, contradicted by Mason-Dixon poll. CHICAGO – Today, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute released a poll of Illinois voters that purports to show overwhelming support for the legalization of marijuana. The poll shows that 66% of voters in the state were supportive of the legalization […]