Dear Friend, This Sunday at 7:30 PM Eastern, 7:00PM Pacific, CBS’s “60 Minutes” will be presenting a segment on how the marijuana black market in California is "burning up profits" of the state's "legal" marijuana industry. You can read their teaser on the segment here. As you know, the promoters of legalization routinely claim that, among other things, legalization will result in the elimination of the black market and will shower the state with sky high tax revenues. California voters were sold the line that pot taxes would bring in upwards of $1 billion in revenue. Of course, as our one-pager on marijuana tax revenues, 'Revenues vs. Reality' states, "revenues often fall short of what was promised and only amount to a drop in the bucket of state budgets. Of the six states for which we have data, four of them (CO, WA, CA, and AK) missed initial revenue targets." Several governors of "legalized" states have also poured water on the "windfall" argument: "We get $200 million a year in tax revenue, which, you know, we’re a $30 billion budget, so it’s a drop in the bucket – it’s not going to pay for early childhood education or solve any big social ill..." - Former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper “I have not counted on any revenue from marijuana. Who’s counting on the marijuana revenue? People said that to make it more plausible for voters.” - Former California Governor Jerry Brown Please be sure to share this email with your friends, family, and colleagues. We will be doing our part to ensure lawmakers and other officials tune in as well. Proving one of the main talking points of Big Marijuana false is a crucial first step in our efforts to protect public health and safety. Thanks for all that you do, Dr. Kevin Sabet President and Founder, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) About SAM Co-founded in 2013 by former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy and Dr. Kevin A. Sabet, a former senior drug policy advisor to the Obama Administration, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) is the nation's premier non-profit, non-partisan marijuana policy organization. Advised by a blue ribbon scientific advisory board, SAM envisions a society where marijuana policies are aligned with the scientific understanding of marijuana's harms, and the commercialization and normalization of marijuana are no more. Its mission is to educate citizens on the science of marijuana and to promote health-first, smart policies and attitudes that decrease marijuana use and its consequences. SAM has advised almost every state government in the U.S., Pope Francis, Queen Silvia of Sweden, and several other governments, dignitaries, and international organizations. It has Special Consultative Status with the United Nations, and SAM team members have testified before Congress numerous times, as well as have appeared in almost every media outlet in the country. FOLLOW US ‌ ‌ Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) | 400 N. Columbus Street, Suite 202, Alexandria, VA 22314 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | About Constant Contact Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!