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With the new Trump Administration taking shape, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) brought together Members of Congress, parents, medical professionals, law enforcement, former White House drug policy officials, and other experts in Washington for a two-day conference to discuss solutions to the nation’s drug crisis. The event, held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, MD, raised awareness about the harms of marijuana and celebrated efforts to fight the profit-driven marijuana industry. Attendees and speakers included powerful voices from across prevention, treatment, recovery, and law enforcement. Attendees heard from Rep. Mary Miller (IL-15), who was awarded SAM’s Legislator of the Year Award; former NIDA Director & White House Drug Czar Robert DuPont; former ONDCP Deputy Director and Harvard professor Dr. Bertha K. Madras, PhD; and Aaron Weiner, PhD, Board Certified Psychologist and SAM Science Advisory Board Member, among many others. |
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|  |  | Top: Representative Mary Miller (IL-15) with SAM CEO, Dr. Kevin A. Sabet, and Government Affairs Officer, Jordan Davidson, receiving SAM’s Legislator of the Year award for her work to close the Delta-8 Loophole in the Farm Bill. Bottom: Dr. Kevin Sabet converses with Dr. Barbara Bazron, the Director of DC Behavioral Health, about her work in building a recovery-oriented behavioral health system for the District of Columbia. |
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|  | Summit speakers Carlton Hall, Amy Ronshausen, and Matej Kosir |
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|  | SAM EVP, Luke Niforatos, and Government Affairs Manager, Jordan Davidson, with Jag Khalsa |
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|  | Long-time advocate Diane Carlson with Summit speaker Paul Scudo |
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| | Read more about the SAM Summit in Law360: Anti-Legalization Group Vows To Go On “Offense”
The head of Smart Approaches to Marijuana pledged to go on the offensive by lobbying to undo the federal law legalizing intoxicating hemp, fighting a pending proposal to loosen federal cannabis restrictions and attempting to reverse state-level legalization. Read more here. |
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| | | This month, a bill drafted by SAM was introduced in the U.S. House and Senate. The legislation would stop the marijuana industry from getting billions of dollars in federal tax cuts if rescheduling goes through. We are hoping the bill, called the No Deductions for Marijuana Businesses Act, gets included in the upcoming tax package. As the powerful House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) introduced the bill for us, we are optimistic about its chances! |
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| | Senator James Lankford (R-OK) of the Finance Committee introduced Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action)-drafted legislation alongside Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) of the Budget Committee to prevent a $2.3 billion marijuana industry tax cut. |
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| SAM CEO, Dr. Kevin A. Sabet, stated, “We thank Senator Lankford for his strong leadership in both fiscal responsibility and drug policy. The federal government should not be in the business of giving tax relief to the federally illegal, addiction-for-profit marijuana industry. This legislation would prevent deficit increases while ensuring that taxpayers don’t foot the bill for the revenue gap made by tax write-offs for people who choose to violate federal law and poison our kids.” Read more here. |
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SAM’s Executive Vice President, Luke Niforatos, squares off with marijuana advocate Martha Bueno for a heated debate on marijuana legalization. Watch the debate here. |
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|  | Jordan Davidson in ABC 11 Raleigh: “Americans don't want addiction-for-profit industries selling products as if they are medicinal.” |
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| | Virginia: The Virginia Senate and General Assembly passed SB970, which would allow for the sale of recreational marijuana in the state. A representative from Governor Glenn Youngkin’s office stated that it will be vetoed. Learn more here.
New York: New York Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Office of Cannabis Management celebrated $1 billion in marijuana sales, ignoring the mounting science confirming marijuana is a serious public health and safety issue and mocking those who suffer from addiction. SAM was on the scene, speaking with the press, distributing science-based marijuana facts to legislators, and employing a mobile billboard to get the word out on the harmful impacts of marijuana. Learn more here.
Missouri: Current data show that legalization in the state has resulted in increased poison control calls and emergency department visits, especially among children. It has also resulted in product recalls due to tainted products and failed to eliminate the illicit market. Learn more here. Pennsylvania: Budget hearings have begun, with Governor Josh Shapiro proposing legalizing marijuana to help balance the budget. Following the Senate's first budget hearing on Tuesday, Sen. Scott Martin said the marijuana proposal is unlikely to pass. Learn more here.
Idaho: Governor Brad Little has signed House Bill 7, which implements fines for marijuana possession. The bill will become law on July 1, 2025. Learn more here.
North Carolina: A law to legalize medical marijuana is likely to reappear in 2025. If you live in North Carolina and would like to get involved, please click here.
Tennessee: Senator Janice Bowling's (R-16) bill SB 0489, which would legalize medical marijuana, died in committee without a hearing. Rep. Ed Butler's (R-41) bill HB 1148, endorsed by SAM Action, which would explicitly ban the sales of THCa and THCp, passed the Criminal Justice Committee and will move on to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
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| | Parent Action Network Families on Capitol Hill.
February started out on an exciting and meaningful note as PAN again joined the National Drug and Alcohol Testing Association (NDASA) to host our second annual PAN Conference and Hill Day. This year, 27 parents attended, representing 16 different states! |
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| After a full day of training, advocates headed to the Hill to tell their heart-wrenching stories to legislators and their staffer members, asking them to support Representative Mary Miller’s (IL-15) amendment toclose the loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill and ban all intoxicating hemp-derived products. The conference again gave the families time to not only learn, but to form meaningful bonds and friendships. The PAN conference was such a success that we are exploring ways to bring more parents to the Hill, so stay tuned for updates!
Learn more about Parent Action Network, SAM here. |
| | SAM President & CEO Dr. Kevin A. Sabet provided a keynote at the Western Doctors in Recovery 11th Annual Meeting in La Jolla, CA. |
| |  | SAM Chief of Staff Jaime Zerbe presented on intoxicating hemp products at the 12th Annual National Prevention Summit in St. Pete, FL. |
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|  | SAM Executive Vice President Luke Niforatos speaks to Capitol Hill staffers in the U.S. Senate. |
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| | SAM Trainings: Schedule a SAM Training today and learn what to say and how to say it.
In-person and virtual trainings are now available for all age groups associated with non-profit organizations, corporations, healthcare, clinicians, social workers, counselors, schools, law enforcement, and local community groups around the country that want to educate their communities and employees on all issues surrounding marijuana. To learn more about our speakers, please visit the training page on our website.
To schedule a training, please contact us at: [email protected].
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| | | A study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes found that many state-level qualifying conditions for medical marijuana lack supporting evidence, as contrasted by the conclusions of a 2017 report about marijuana from National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).
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| | Legalization creates profound social costs that multiply into increased crime, an influx of cartel activity, and an overall threat to public safety. There is a high risk of marijuana use co-occurring with other offenses, including violence and robbery. Download Marijuana and Crime for a quick reference on how legalization has affected crime rates in states that have commercialized marijuana. |
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| | Across our nation––in states like Florida, North Dakota, and South Dakota––we are seeing a rejection of marijuana legalization. SAM and its allies defeated legalization at the Florida ballot box in November, despite pro-pot advocates spending more than $150 million on their campaign. Now, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin told lawmakers during his recent State of the Commonwealth Address that he will not work with anyone who wants to legalize marijuana, specifically citing youth mental health as his main concern. Your generosity created these outcomes. Please give today and keep us winning against the marijuana industry. |
| | SAM will be hosting a virtual update for our Leadership donors in March. This exclusive look at SAM’s current and upcoming work is for donors who give $1,000 or more. For more information or to register, please contact John Spurlock, Chief Development Officer, at [email protected]. |
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