Dive into this week's highlights, including an update on our recent comment submission and Luke's Florida event with Governor DeSantis.

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SAM Files Public Comment Urging DEA Administrator to Reject Marijuana Rescheduling ([link removed])

Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) filed its formal objection to the Biden Administration’s proposed rescheduling of marijuana as part of the public comment period that closed on Monday, July 22, 2024.

SAM’s formal objection to the proposed rule explains that efforts to reschedule marijuana have been rejected multiple times in the past. “To change course now and reschedule marijuana, DEA (or the Attorney General) would have to provide a detailed justification explaining why the consistent analysis of the government over the past five decades holding that the statutory criteria require controlling marijuana under Schedule I is no longer accurate or applicable.”

The comment also addresses the flawed recommendation issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), stating: “In addition, DEA would have to provide evidence of a sea change in the approach of physicians with respect to marijuana to establish that marijuana now has a ‘currently accepted medical use’ (CAMU) in the United States. A finding as to a CAMU is critical, because marijuana cannot be moved out of Schedule I unless DEA finds that it has a CAMU. . . . HHS has completely failed to provide a reasoned explanation for multiple changes in its analysis that were necessary to yield the novel recommendation for rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III.”

Click here to read our press statement ([link removed])

Click here to read our entire comment ([link removed])

SAM EVP Luke Niforatos at the Florida Sheriffs Association Conference

On Tuesday, July 23, SAM Executive Vice President, Luke Niforatos delivered a presentation at the Florida Sheriffs Association Conference educating Florida leaders on the downfalls of Amendment 3, a ballot initiative that would legalize marijuana this November. Luke met with key Florida elected officials, including Governor Ron DeSantis, the First Lady of Florida, the former Florida House Speaker, and Sheriffs from all across Florida.
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Luke Niforatos, SAM EVP with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
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SAM EVP Luke Niforatos speaking to Florida Sheriffs on the dangers of marijuana legalization
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaking to Florida Sheriffs
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Luke delivered a presentation debunking the myth that marijuana legalization is inevitable ahead of the Florida November initiative, highlighting states that have recently rejected legalization, including: Oklahoma, Arkansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota

We can continue our work in Florida thanks to your generosity ([link removed]) . We don’t accept funding from large corporate interests, including addiction industries or the private prison industry. We are funded by people like you—people who are also concerned about the future of our communities who want our children to grow up without the influence of addiction-for-profit companies.
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This has been a huge week for our organization, and it’s only Wednesday! Thanks to your support, we can continue our work.

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Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Kevin A. Sabet, PhD

CEO & President

Smart Approaches to Marijuana
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Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) ([link removed]) is an alliance of organizations and individuals dedicated to a health-first approach to marijuana policy. We are professionals working in mental health and public health. We are bipartisan. We are medical doctors, lawmakers, treatment providers, preventionists, teachers, law enforcement officers and others who seek a middle road between incarceration and legalization. Our commonsense, third-way approach to marijuana policy is based on reputable science and sound principles of public health and safety.

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