New York and New Mexico recently saw bills to legalize marijuana be signed into law. SAM led the effort against these bills for three years and will continue to lead efforts to rein in the industry and implement stricter regulations. 


While it feels like a punch in the gut to lose these states to Big Pot, it's important to also remember we have successfully been able to defeat legalization proposals in five states so far in this year alone. 

Below is a breakdown of where legalization passed versus where we were able to defeat Big Pot over the last year:
The most important work for SAM and our supporters begins in New Mexico and New York now. 

In New York, towns and cities have a short window of nine months to implement opt-out provisions to ban marijuana storefronts and other industry action in their communities. 

If you live in New York, New Mexico, or frankly any other state where marijuana has been legalized, be sure you have downloaded our free, comprehensive toolkit to help implement local control over Big Pot. 

Click the image below to visit our Local Control Resource Center today and download our comprehensive local control toolkit, as well as any other materials you may need to help pushback: 

Latest Developments
Architect of Colorado Legalization: "The outcome of (legalization) is shameful, hurts people, and Colorado is not 'safer.'"
Rob Corry, one of the so-called "founding fathers" of legalization and architect of Amendment 64 that legalized marijuana in Colorado, authored a scathing denouncement of the current state of the marijuana industry for the Denver Gazette.

"I wish I could be proud of what we created, but I'm not," writes Corry. Corry points out that the industry now effectively runs the state of Colorado and its so-called "regulators" pass from government jobs to industry jobs on a daily basis. He also endorses a new bill led by Colorado's Democratic Representative Yadira Caraveo to implement potency caps and other common sense regulations. 

This scathing piece is a must-read for all advocates of public health, safety, and common sense. 

 
New Study: Youth Marijuana Addiction Rate Double Rate of Alcohol & Other Substance Use Disorders

An explosive study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics and conducted by prominent researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, found that teenage marijuana users (aged 12-17) have double the prevalence of a use disorder (addiction) than nicotine, alcohol, and, in most categories of users, even prescription drug misusers. 

The addiction rate was as high as 20% among those who had used more than three years, and double the rate of alcohol in all categories.




New Study: Secondhand Marijuana Smoke More Hazardous Than Secondhand Tobacco Smoke 

A new study found that secondhand marijuana smoke could be more hazardous to one's health than secondhand smoke from cigarettes. 

The study compared emissions of fine particles, or particulate matter (PM 2.5) from tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke and found that the PM 2.5 emission rate of pre-rolled marijuana joints was 3.5 times higher than the average PM 2.5 emission rate of Marlboro cigarettes. 

Furthermore, the study also found that smoking marijuana indoors produced much more secondhand smoke emissions than the use of cigarettes indoors. 



Tell Your Representatives in Washington: Oppose Upcoming Nationwide Legalization Bill
 
A new bill to legalize marijuana nationwide is reportedly being drafted by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. 

While we await the details of this bill, it is crucial that you let your representatives in Washington know that you oppose marijuana legalization and normalization and will be watching closely as this process unfolds. 


Op-Ed Corner

Smokescreen: What the Marijuana Industry Doesn't Want You to Know
We are officially less than two weeks from the release date of Dr. Kevin Sabet's latest book, "Smokescreen: What the Marijuana Industry Doesn't Want You to Know!"

Don't miss the chance to pre-order your copy today and get your freebies!

Smokescreen serves as an exposé on the marijuana industry and pulls the rug out from under the industry's promoters. 

Click here to pre-order your copy today. 
As always, thank you for being a SAM supporter. If you can, please support our efforts with a small donation by clicking here.

If you can't chip-in, then at the very least, please click here to share this with a friend and help grow the SAM community.  

All the best,

Colton Grace
Communications Associate
Smart Approaches to Marijuana
  
Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), 107 S. West Street, Suite 757, Alexandria, VA 22314
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