And Big Pot lost big... Dear Friend, As the 116th Congress comes to a close we are thrilled to report that, despite all odds and because of your great support, SAM was able to defeat every single pro-pot bill that was introduced. When this session of Congress began back last year, we were told that the passage of bills like the SAFE Banking Act and the STATES Act were a done deal. But we worked with our health and safety organization partners, including the American Medical Association – and we won. We educated both lawmakers and the public in a significant way. Though the SAFE Banking Act passed the House, we were able to keep it from even receiving a hearing in the Senate Banking Committee as we worked with Committee Chairman Senator Mike Crapo to help him understand the serious ramifications of allowing the pot industry access to banks. That put an end to what was being reported as a swift move to pass the bill. Then, in a brazen attempt to pass over bills that would merely offer more legitimacy to the marijuana industry, House leadership moved to vote on the MORE Act, a bill that would legalize marijuana nationwide. Due to your support and SAM’s efforts, the vote was cancelled. The bill would eventually be passed by the House, but its passage came during the lame duck period following the election, where it passed and died on the same day. Finally, despite desperate efforts of the pot lobby to include the SAFE Banking Act and taxpayer-funded bailouts for pot shops in each round of COVID-19 stimulus bills, we were able to defeat these efforts at every turn. Donate to SAM Today But we haven’t just been fighting against things in Congress. In fact, we were able to help support the Medical Marijuana Research Act out of the Energy and Commerce Committee and on to a successful vote in the House just a few weeks ago. Beyond that, we’ve worked with Congressional leaders to have language introduced that help raise awareness on drugged driving in states with “legal” marijuana markets and even had an amendment introduced that would restrict federal funding in states that allow high potency marijuana products to be marketed in kid-friendly forms. Friend, this year has been challenging for us all, but we never stopped fighting to put health and safety first when it comes to education and public policy. None of this would have been possible without you. Your support allows us to be the voice for all of those who oppose the expansion of the marijuana industry and the continued normalization of marijuana use. In fact, just this year we have had over 4,000 media mentions, placed more than 40 opinion pieces in over twenty-five of the top outlets in the country, and conducted over a hundred virtual speaking events and trainings with various organizations, stakeholders, and lawmakers nationwide. Could you take a minute today and pledge your continued support for our cause with a donation today? Your gift today will help us budget for the upcoming year and all the fights we will face. Remember, without your support, we cannot stand in the way of Big Marijuana’s expansion. Donate to SAM Today We wish you a safe, joy-filled holiday season and new year, and thank you sincerely for all you do. All my best, Dr. Kevin Sabet, President & Co-Founder Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) Smart Approaches to Marijuana | www.learnaboutsam.org ‌ ‌ Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) | 107 S. West St, Suite 757, Alexandria, VA 22314 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | About our service provider Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!