Senator Rice was a tireless advocate for his community FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 16, 2023 Contact: Jaime Zerbe [email protected] New Jersey State Senator Ron Rice Passes Away at Age 77 (Trenton, New Jersey) — On Wednesday, New Jersey’s longest-serving Black legislator and friend of SAM, Senator Ronald Rice, passed at the age of 77. Senator Rice was a tireless ally for science-based marijuana policy and pushed back on popular claims that marijuana commercialization would ultimately lead to social justice for Black Americans. Rice once said, “When I hear my colleagues pushing for legalization 'in the name of social justice,' I can't apologize for my instinct to suspect that it's really about helping political friends profit from an industry that should not be allowed a foothold in our state." Dr. Kevin Sabet, President and Co-Founder of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a former senior drug policy advisor to the Obama Administration issued the following statement in response: “Senator Rice was a good friend to all of us at SAM and an example of honor and principle. Working with him for several years to stop and delay legalization in New Jersey was one of the highlights of my career. Senator Rice always put the interests of people over profit, and his integrity was beyond reproach. This is a sad day for all Americans and we will deeply miss him. We will continue to work in his honor as we fight for-profit interests from taking over our neighborhoods and communities.” ### About SAM Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) is an alliance of organizations and individuals dedicated to a health-first approach to marijuana policy. We are professionals working in mental health and public health. We are bipartisan. We are medical doctors, lawmakers, treatment providers, preventionists, teachers, law enforcement officers and others who seek a middle road between incarceration and legalization. Our commonsense, third-way approach to marijuana policy is based on reputable science and sound principles of public health and safety. Media Contact: Jaime Zerbe [email protected] FOLLOW US   Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) | 107 S. West St., Suite 757, Alexandria, VA 22314 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!