Latest News
SAM calls for White House, DOJ, SAMHSA, FDA to stop ignoring marijuana issue; host summit with public health researchers
SAM Co-Founder Patrick Kennedy asks President Barack Obama to round up federal agencies and shine spotlight on mental, physical harms of marijuana.
Avoid ‘Charlotte’s Web’ to treat epilepsy
Dr. Christian Thurstone, a member of SAM’s board of directors, gives several reasons why children with severe epilepsy should avoid the CBD oil product known as “Charlotte’s Web.”
SAM NY opposes medical marijuna compromise, commends governor holding firm against smoking
ALBANY– The New York Affiliate of Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana), a nonpartisan alliance of lawmakers, scientists and other concerned citizens, coordinated by Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD) and chaired nationally by former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, expressed concern today that the New York State […]
SAM applauds DOJ, U.S. Sentencing Commission call to reduce sentences for some drug offenders
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Justice Department’s support for a reduction in sentences for nonviolent drug offenders is a step in the right direction — and one that shows marijuana legalization is unnecessary to reform any problematic drug laws, says Smart Approaches to Marijuana (Project SAM), a national, volunteer nonprofit co-founded by former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy.
‘I became convinced that I had died’
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd ate a marijuana edible in Denver, and we hope you’ll read her full report about the experience.
SAM applauds CBD agreement between State of N.Y., maker of medicine for children with severe epilepsy
ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York affiliate of Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) and a nonpartisan alliance of lawmakers, scientists and other concerned citizens coordinated by Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD) and chaired nationally by former U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, applaud today the State […]
After 5 months of sales, Colorado sees downside of legal highs
DENVER — Five months after Colorado became the first state to allow recreational marijuana sales, the battle over legalization is still raging. Law enforcement officers in Colorado and neighboring states, emergency room doctors and legalization opponents increasingly are highlighting a series of recent problems as cautionary lessons for other states flirting with loosening marijuana laws.
Prevention, Treatment, Recovery, Law Enforcement, and Drug Court Groups Agree: The Rohrabacher Amendment Should Not Be Considered in the Senate!
Click here to read our factsheet and background document on the Rohrabacher Amendment.
SAM applauds unprecedented agreement between Georgia, manufacturer of CBD medicine
The State of Georgia and GW Pharmaceuticals have forged an unprecedented agreement that is a smart, compassionate way to ensure children with intractable epilepsy receive a new medication based on a non-intoxicating component of cannabis.
‘People are voting without the knowledge.’
There is no debate: marijuana is addictive and harmful to brain development, and current trends showing increased use among adolescents are profoundly troubling, Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told thousands of people gathered last week in Washington, D.C., for an annual meeting of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, […]
Marijuana use and pregnancy
Of the 2.4 million Americans who try marijuana for the first time each year, 58 percent are under the age of 18. That’s why when we’re debating drug policy and the impact of marijuana on society, we cannot ignore kids. Because the brain isn’t fully formed until about the age of 25, youth are especially […]
Marijuana linked to more fatal CO traffic accidents
A statement issued by the University of Colorado School of Medicine: AURORA, Colo. (May 15, 2014) – The proportion of marijuana-positive drivers involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes in Colorado has increased dramatically since the commercialization of medical marijuana in the middle of 2009, according to a study by University of Colorado School of Medicine […]