Dear John, 

We are going to be honest: several states have ballot initiatives this year to legalize marijuana— and it doesn’t look good.

We are being outspent by more than 20 to 1 by an industry hell-bent on commercializing marijuana. But regardless of the polls or even the outcome, we aren’t backing down.

Check out what we are doing and check out the resources at the end of this email if you want to help us fight back.

In North Dakota, we filed Healthy and Productive North Dakota, an initiative aimed at stopping the passage of Measure 2, which would legalize recreational marijuana in North Dakota. 

In Maryland, we filed Protect Maryland Kids, an initiative aimed at stopping the passage of Maryland Question 4, which would amend the Maryland Constitution and legalize recreational marijuana. 

In Missouri, we filed Protect Missouri Kids, an initiative aimed at stopping the passage of Missouri Amendment 3, which would amend the Missouri Constitution and legalize recreational marijuana. 

Additionally, both South Dakota and Arkansas have marijuana legalization ballot initiatives that we are encouraging citizens to oppose this November.

We helped form the committee in opposition to Measure 27, Protecting South Dakota Kids, and plan to run ads in the state. Additionally, we are serving as a senior advisor in Arkansas educating on Arkansas Issue 4. To learn more about South Dakota’s imitative click here and to learn more about Arkansas’ initiative click here.

SAM EVP and Protect Our Kids CEO, Luke Niforatos speaks to members of the press in opposition to Arkansas Issue 4 in Little Rock this week.

If you are in one of these states, please speak out against legalization, you have more influence than you think you do. All of the state-specific websites above have resources and ways to get involved but here are some other ways you can get involved:

1. Write a letter to the editor in your local newspaper asking your neighbors to vote against legalization and sharing why you are concerned about legalization. Here are some helpful guidelines from the University of Kansas on writing and submitting a good letter to the editor. The websites above in your states will have additional talking points and details on each initiative. You can also use the SAM website for research information and talking points. 
2. Share your thoughts on social media and encourage your friends and family to vote against the ballot initiative. You can share any of the resources we have on our website or any of the resources on the Protect Our Kids website.
3. Organize a door knocking campaign around your neighborhood to educate your neighbors on the ballot initiative.
4. If you are able to donate to these efforts, please visit our partner at Protect Our Kids. Your donation will help fund things like the development of resources, ads, and other materials to raise awareness in opposition to these initiatives. 



We will continue to fight these efforts in every state because for us, this is something worth fighting for.   

Thank you for all of your hard work and efforts to help us defeat legalization. 

Sincerely, 

Dr. Kevin Sabet 

President & CEO 

Smart Approaches to Marijuana 

Luke Niforatos

EVP, Smart Approaches to Marijuana

CEO, Protect our Kids