Latest News
A DRAW FOR LEGALIZATION ON ELECTION NIGHT
North Dakota Rejects Legalization; Michigan Passes It, But Opposition Vows Local and Legal Battles After a hotly contested year of campaigning, Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) and its affiliates went one for one in ballot initiatives. In North Dakota, voters overwhelmingly defeated legalization, while in Michigan, a late surge of funds from Big […]
OPPONENTS OF MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION GATHER IN DETROIT
Today, a group of new supporters gathered in Detroit in opposition to Proposition 18-1. This group includes: Reverend Horace Sheffield, Detroit Association of Black Organizations Yvette McElory Anderson, Field Director, Fannie Lou Hamer PAC Reverend Dr. Wendell Anthony, President, Detroit Branch NAACP Kamilia Landrum, Deputy Director, Detroit Branch NAACP Bishop Corletta Vaughn Dr. Kevin Sabet, […]
SAM Model State Legislation
The expanded use of marijuana has demonstrated harms to public health through increased drugged driving fatalities, workplace accidents, development of mental health problems, and public exposure to second-hand smoke. The harms are particularly acute for children and adolescents, those with mental illness, those with predisposition to addictions, and pregnant women. The commercialization of marijuana leads […]
SAM Launches New Project on Day Canada Legalizes Marijuana
Today, despite international treaties outlawing the legal sales of marijuana, Canada became the largest sponsor of marijuana in the world, legalizing the commercial sales of the drug. In response, concerned citizens, activists, and public health experts gathered in Vancouver to announce the launch of a watchdog group dedicated to counting the costs of marijuana commercialization […]
Colorado US Attorney Signals Potential Prosecution for “State-Legal Marijuana Operations
US Attorney for Colorado, Bob Troyer, signaled potential prosecution of “state legal” marijuana operations and their investors in an op-ed written last Friday in the Denver Post. The piece signaled a new approach to reigning in Big Marijuana in states that have legalized. In the editorial, Troyer stated that his office would begin taking legal […]
Doing it The Right Way: DEA Reschedules Marijuana Medication
(Alexandria, VA) – SAM today applauded the rescheduling of Epidiolex, an FDA-approved medication derived from the marijuana plant that contains 99.9% pure cannabidiol (CBD). The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) published a notice in the Federal Register that moves FDA-approved drugs that contain CBD derived from marijuana and no more than 0.1 percent tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) from […]
California Governor Vetos Bill Allowing Pot Shops To Deduct Expenses From Taxes
Yesterday, Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a bill that would have allowed marijuana operations in the state to deduct business expenses from their state taxes, effectively allowing them greater movement to to advertise, promote, and commercialize their products. Smart Approaches to Marijuana founder and president, Dr. Kevin Sabet, released the following statement: “Governor Brown did the […]
New HHS Survey: Heavy Marijuana Use Skyrocketing; Youth in Late Teens Using More Marijuana Now Than Any Time in Recent History
There are now twice as many daily or near daily marijuana users in the US than just a decade ago, according to the most comprehensive survey on drug use released today by the federal government. There are also now 8,300 new marijuana users each day, and 22% of 18 to 25 year olds are currently […]
New Data Out of Colorado Show Harsh Reality of Marijuana Legalization
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 increased since marijuana legalization. “We should pump the brakes on marijuana legalization, slow down, and consider these implications before opening the door for the next Big Tobacco,” said […]
SEPTEMBER: Celebrate National Recovery Month With The SAM Toolkit
September is National Recovery Month. We at SAM celebrate this month with the whole country. It is a time to remind everyone that marijuana use disorder is real, and recovery happens. SAM is proud to release this toolkit to help in your work. Some key facts to share on social media: Big Pharma is eyeing […]
National Recovery Month by Justin Luke Riley
Every September, our country celebrates National Recovery Month, a time to show that people do recover and move on with their lives. As I write this blog I am actually landing in Sacramento to join recovery advocates from all over the state of California. This trip, like many others, will include me speaking on strategies […]
Altria/Philip Morris/Big Tobacco Investing in Marijuana
During an interview with Barclays Investments on September 5, 2018, tobacco industry executives from Altria (the parent company of tobacco giant Philip Morris) indicated their interest in taking advantage of marijuana as a new product line: Gaurav Jain (Barclays) There has been quite a bit of interest in the cannabis space, especially given recent news […]