Facebook Join My List Logo [[link removed]]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13th, 2019
CONTACT:
Colton Grace
[email protected]
(864)-492-6719
Leading Marijuana Policy Group Unveils Latest Data on Marijuana Industry Donations
Now featuring donations from K-Street lobbying organizations
(Alexandria, VA) - Today, Smart Approaches to Marijuana [[link removed]]
(SAM), the nation's leading, non-partisan non-profit dedicated to opposing marijuana
commercialization and holding Big Marijuana accountable, released a thoroughly renovated
database [[link removed]]
with the most up-to-date information available on political contributions made by
the marijuana industry to federal elected officials.
The database [[link removed]]
now includes donations from K Street lobbying firms that work for the marijuana
industry, like Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck (for the Cannabis Trade Federation)
and Squire Patton Boggs (for John Boehner's National Cannabis Roundtable).
"The flow of political donations from the marijuana industry to elected officials
has grown exponentially over the last few years as massive investment from the titans
of addiction has increased," said Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of SAM [[link removed]]
and a former senior drug policy advisor to the Obama Administration. "Big Marijuana
is dutifully following the playbook of Big Tobacco and part of that strategy was
greasing the wheels on public policy with donations. Another key aspect was keeping
those donations under the radar, we aren't going to let that happen."
This initiative seeks to expose elected officials who pocket money from the marijuana
industry and then support policies that would benefit the pot profiteers, such as
granting the industry investor access or tying the hands of the FDA from being able
to have even basic oversight of the industry.
The Top Five Recipients of Marijuana Industry Donations in Congress
Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) - $103,500
Representative Kathleen Rice (D-NY) - $76,800
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) - $50,300
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) - $32,600
Representative Dave Joyce (R-OH) - $29,700
A 2018 IPSOS [[link removed]]
poll found 44% of Americans are less likely to support elected officials who take
Big Marijuana's money, yet more and more politicians are on the receiving end of
substantial contributions.
"We will continue to expose those who take pot money," continued Dr. Sabet. "Elected
officials should realize taking federally illegal money from an addiction-for-profit
industry is dramatically unpopular. With the Surgeon General raising the alarm [[link removed]]
on the dangers of marijuana commercialization and normalization, and Big Tobacco
and Big Pharma stepping in, we can only expect this to become even more unpopular."
###
About SAM:
Smart Approaches to Marijuana [[link removed]]
(SAM) is a nonpartisan, non-profit alliance of physicians, policy makers, prevention
workers, treatment and recovery professionals, scientists, and other concerned citizens
opposed to marijuana legalization who want health and scientific evidence to guide
marijuana policies. SAM has affiliates in more than 30 states.
Evidence shows that marijuana - which has skyrocketed in average potency over the
past decades - is addictive and harmful to the human brain [[link removed]]
especially when used by adolescents. In states that have already legalized the drug,
there has been an increase in drugged driving crashes, [[link removed]]
youth marijuana use, [[link removed]]
and costs that far outweigh pot revenues. [[link removed]]These
states have seen a black market that continues to thrive, [[link removed]]
sustained disparities in marijuana arrest rates, [[link removed]]
and tobacco company investment in marijuana. [[link removed]]
Marijuana is not a harmless drug. View the stories of its victims here [[link removed]].
For more information about marijuana use and its effects, visit www.learnaboutsam.org
[[link removed]]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forward this email
[link removed]

This email was sent to [email protected] by [email protected].

Update Profile/Email Address
[link removed]


Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe(TM)
[link removed]


Privacy Policy:
[link removed]

Online Marketing by
Constant Contact(R)
www.constantcontact.com



SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) | 400 N. Columbus Street | Suite 202 | Alexandria | VA | 22314