A brief rundown of marijuana news, research highlights, and SAM events |
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MORE Act Passes House in Useless Show Vote, But Support Dwindles From Last Year |
“The bill is a smokescreen for Altria Phillip Morris and their Big Tobacco gang of investors. As we have seen in state after state, marijuana commercialization does not lead to any tangible benefit for disadvantaged communities and social equity programs continue to be manipulated.
"Legalization simply results in rich, overwhelmingly white men getting richer while using predatory marketing tactics to expand substance abuse in the communities that were somehow supposed to benefit."
-Dr. Kevin Sabet, President & CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM)
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Public Polling on Marijuana Is More Complicated Than You May Realize |
Newsweek published an op-ed by Dr. Kevin Sabet on the nuance that is often overlooked in polls about the public support for the legalization of marijuana. While polls often paint this as a black-and-white issue, the preferences of most voters are much more nuanced, with 62% of Americans favoring a policy other than the full legalization of marijuana.
"Public opinion should inform public policy. Policymakers must reject the full legalization of marijuana in favor of a safer, fairer, more effective approach to marijuana that more accurately represents the views of their constituents."
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Kennedy and Sabet: Virginia was Right to Reject Legalizing Recreational Marijuana Sales |
The Roanoke Times published an op-ed by SAM President & CEO Dr. Kevin Sabet and SAM co-founder and former Congressman Patrick Kennedy applauding the Virginia legislature for rejecting the commercialization of marijuana:
“Virginians may not want someone to go to jail for a joint, but they definitely don’t want pot gummy bears and youth-targeted billboards.”
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Push to Relax Marijuana Laws Hits Roadblocks |
“I think we should not go after low-level users and there is medical promise with components of marijuana, but to wholesale legalize would be to sign up this country for another public-health disaster."
-Dr. Kevin Sabet
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Virginia House Rejects Commercialization of Marijuana
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Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a nonprofit that opposes legalization, said it would be ready to “fight commercialization next year when another attempt will be made to legalize sales.”
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Dr. Kevin Sabet on The Greg Kelly Show |
Dr. Kevin Sabet joined Greg Kelly on his podcast to discuss marijuana legalization and the consequences.
"Don't think you're going to be seeing social justice entrepreneurs from Harlem becoming the next millionaires, that is not the case. It is Wall Street, Big Tobacco, and we’re being fooled and lied to by these industries.”
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SAM EVP: Legal Marijuana Will Not Help the US Compete With China
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For years, Big Marijuana has attempted to jam pro-pot provisions into unrelated bills because they lack the political capital to pass those provisions in stand-alone legislation. Their latest attempt to pass marijuana banking provisions in a bill aimed to help the US compete with China was slammed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
SAM Executive Vice President Luke Niforatos authored an op-ed in the Washington Examiner commending McConnell’s comments: “China has no tolerance for lax drug policies but ships marijuana and fentanyl to our country. Perhaps this is our canary in the coal mine.”
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Dr. Kevin Sabet Presents Before Member Nations |
SAM President & CEO Dr. Kevin Sabet spoke before member nations of the United Nations at the 2022 session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND). He discussed the importance of our drug treaties and the harms of the commercialization of marijuana.
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SAM also hosted a corresponding side event on March 18 entitled “Lessons Learned from Commercial Marijuana,” featuring Washington State Representative Lauren Davis, SAM President Dr. Kevin Sabet, and SAM Executive Vice President Luke Niforatos.
Over 30 member nations joined us for this successful event.
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Registration is now open for the 10th Annual SAM Summit taking place on April 21st in Atlanta, Georgia, alongside the Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit.
This is the perfect option for interested parties to learn more about what the current research says about the negative effects of marijuana normalization on public health and safety.
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SAM is proud to announce that Dr. Yngvild Olsen, acting director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), will provide a national update on marijuana during the opening plenary for the 10th Annual SAM Summit in Atlanta.
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SAM is also proud to announce that Rep. Lauren Davis, Democratic member of the Washington State House of Representatives, will present at the SAM Summit. Rep. Davis will discuss her leadership on the Washington state THC potency cap campaign and her efforts to regulate the marijuana industry in Washington.
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Are you an organization that is looking for an opportunity to support and engage at our annual 2022 SAM Summit?
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The 2022 SAM Summit is sponsored by: |
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SAM’s Response to a Tobacco and Alcohol Industry- Funded “Study” of Youth Marijuana Use |
SAM released a response to a new policy paper released on March 16, 2022, by the Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation (CPEAR), funded by Molson Coors, Altria (Philip Morris), private cash, and other companies.
This paper is highly flawed and does not advance the discourse on the effect of state marijuana laws on youth marijuana use.
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Do you want to educate your community and/or employees on all issues surrounding marijuana? Hold a SAM training session with one of our credentialed speakers!
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Marijuana Users Have Lower IQ in Middle Age Study Results Show
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A long-term study of 1,037 people born in 1972-73 in Dunedin, New Zealand, has released new findings on the impact of long-term marijuana use on the brain. The original study found that individuals who started using marijuana as young teenagers had reduced IQ scores at age 38. Now the Dunedin cohort is 45 years old and their cognitive abilities have again been tested.
Researchers found: “mid-life cognitive deficits in regular cannabis users resemble those found in non-users who later develop dementia.”
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Youth Marijuana Use Increases in Legal States
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A systematic review published in the Journal on Adolescent Health evaluated how medical marijuana legalization affected overall marijuana consumption in the state:
“Higher quality evidence suggests an increase in adolescent past-month consumption of cannabis following legalization in several geographical jurisdictions. Consumption evolution prelegalization and postlegalization differed by age group and for young women and for binge drinkers.”
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The Impact of Recreational Marijuana Legalization on Simple Assault in Oregon
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A study published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence examines the impact of legalization on simple assault:
“[T]his study found that counties in [Oregon] have experienced increases in simple assault rate following legalization, relative to rates in the 19 non-legalized states.”
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Geographical Variation in Hospitalization for Psychosis Associated with Cannabis Use and Cannabis Legalization in the United States
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A study published in the Journal of Psychiatry Research that investigated the association between legalization and hospitalizations for marijuana-related psychosis:
“[W]e observed a higher proportion of hospital discharges for psychosis associated with cannabis use in areas with more liberal cannabis legalization laws.”
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Cannabis Legalization and Detection of Tetrahydrocannabinol in Injured Drivers
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A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that investigated the prevalence of injured drivers testing positive for THC:
“After cannabis legalization, the prevalence of moderately injured drivers with a THC level of at least 2 ng per milliliter in participating British Columbia trauma centers more than doubled.”
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Effect of Medical Marijuana Card Ownership on Pain, Insomnia, and Affective Disorder Symptoms in Adults
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A randomized clinical trial published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that examined the risks and benefits of medical marijuana use for pain, insomnia, and anxiety or depressive symptoms:
“[I]mmediate acquisition of a medical marijuana card increased the incidence and severity of cannabis use disorder (CUD) and resulted in no significant improvement in pain, anxiety, or depressive symptoms, but improved self-reported sleep quality.”
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Long-Term Cannabis Use and Cognitive Reserves and Hippocampal Volume in Midlife
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A study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry that tested the effects of long-term marijuana use on cognitive functioning in middle aged adults:
“Long-term cannabis users showed cognitive deficits and smaller hippocampal volume in midlife.”
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Introducing Cryptocurrency Donations |
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Making cryptocurrency donations through our widget will help create a longer, brighter future for SAM!
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SAM Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Challenge |
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SAM is launching a new Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Challenge that will not only help us raise money for our mission, but it will also give you the chance to talk to others about your personal “WHY.” Why you support SAM and our work and how that impacts your life.
When you join, you will receive a confirmation email with the next steps to setting up your personal fundraising profile. For more information and to get started today, click here!
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SAM relies on the financial support of our partnerships and donors to keep providing the service of our mission, which 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. |
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Smart Approaches to Marijuana (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 three dozen states. |
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