For Immediate Release:
September 27th, 2019

BREAKING: CDC Confirms THC Vaping to Blame for Vaping Illness; Urges Americans to Avoid Marijuana Vaping Products

(Alexandria, VA) – Today, the Centers for Disease Control urged Americans to “refrain from the use of vaping products, particularly those containing THC.” This marks the first time the agency has explicitly warned against the use of all THC vaping products. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana and a former senior drug policy advisor released the following statement in response:

“For too long, officials have allowed the marijuana industry to run ahead of the science, ahead of the warnings from public health and safety officials, ahead of the advice of the overwhelming majority of medical associations, and now Big Marijuana’s latest innovation has turned fatal.

“Senators considering supporting the SAFE Banking Act, henceforth referred to as the VAPE Banking Act, should pay attention. By expanding banking access and institutional investment into this industry, you are paving the way to the proliferation of addictive, harmful, and fatal products in our country.

“It is time for the Trump Administration to take action by removing every marijuana vaping product from the shelves in “legal” states, shut down supply lines for the product, and place an immediate moratorium on the expansion of this industry.”
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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 appearing in almost every media outlet in the country.

Media Contact:
Colton Grace
(864) 492-6719
[email protected]

For Immediate Release:
September 26th, 2019

Senate Appropriations Committee Passes Key Spending Bill Free of Pro-Marijuana Amendments

(Alexandria, VA) – Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill without rumored, pro-marijuana industry riders. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana and a former senior drug policy advisor to the Obama Administration, released the following statement in response:

“Despite rumors of amendments extending banking access to the marijuana industry being attached to this bill, a clean bill was passed. This is a great win for public health, safety, and sends the message that passing the SAFE Banking Act through the Senate will not be as easy as Big Marijuana wants folks to believe.

“SAM staff has worked with key Senate staff in order to keep pro-pot language out of this bill and today’s result should be highly encouraging for those opposed to the legalization, commercialization, and promotion of today’s highly potent marijuana. We will keep working these relationships to ensure Congress does not expand this addiction-for-profit industry.”

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About SAM Action

SAM Action is a non-profit, 501(c)(4) social welfare organization dedicated to promoting healthy marijuana policies that do not involve legalizing drugs. SAM Action engages in high-impact political campaigns to oppose marijuana legalization and commercialization.

Media Contact:
Colton Grace
(864) 492-6719
[email protected]

Dear Friend,

It has been reported that the House of Representatives could vote on allowing the marijuana industry access to banks as soon as Tuesday.

The time to take action is now.

The fact is, opening up the industry to billions of dollars in institutional investment and granting legitimacy while hundreds of people are getting sick, and some even dying, as a possible result of marijuana vaping, is potentially disastrous.

We cannot sit idly by and let our elected officials think this is fine.

Will you join countless other Americans in taking action today by sending a letter to your members of Congress?

Plese click here to write your representatives in Washington and let them know that allowing the pot industry access to banks will put the pedal to the metal on establishing the next Big Tobacco.

Thank you for all that you do. Together, we can help save lives.

Dr. Kevin Sabet
President and Founder,
Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action

E-cigarettes may damage the heart, scientists say, as they ask Public Health England to stop recommending vaping 

90 per cent of studies which had no conflict of interest showed impact on the heart   CREDIT: ALAMY

•  Sarah Knapton, science editor 8 SEPTEMBER 2019

E-cigarettes may damage the heart, scientists have concluded, and have called for Public Health England (PHE) to stop recommending vaping.

Researchers looked at 38 studies into the cardiovascular impact of vaping and found worrying signs of damage in nearly three quarters of tests.

When they discounted trials which had been funded by the tobacco industry – or where the scientists involved had conflicts of interest – the number of studies showing harm rose to 90 per cent.

Asked whether PHE should now change its advice, Martin McKee, Professor of European Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who co-authored the new analysis said: “The simple answer is yes.”

for complete article https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2019/09/08/e-cigarettes-may-damage-heart-scientists-say-ask-public-health/

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The cardiovascular effects of electronic cigarettes: A systematic review of experimental studies.

Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.

Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg University Hospital, Capital Region of Denmark, Denmark; Danish Heart Foundation, Copenhagen, Denmark; University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health and Medical Science, Denmark. Electronic address: [email protected].

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Smoking is responsible for substantial cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Electronic cigarettes have been advocated as a means to reduce this disease burden; by reducing exposure to harmful substances in smokers who are unable to quit. Concerns have been raised however, about cardiovascular effects of their use, with inhalants containing carbonyls and fine particulate matter. We systematically reviewed experimental studies of in vitro, animal, and human cardiovascular effects associated with electronic cigarette use.

DISCUSSION: Most studies suggest potential for cardiovascular harm from electronic cigarette use, through mechanisms that increase risk of thrombosis and atherosclerosis. Notably, studies with conflicts of interest are significantly less likely to identify concerning cardiovascular effects. Included studies examine healthy, adult participants, limiting generalisation to potential high-risk groups including individuals with established cardiovascular disease or young, non-smokers.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PMID: 31344384         DOI:10.1016/j.ypmed.2019.105770

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 11th, 2019

In Wake of Recent Vaping Crisis, Trump Administration Must Enact National Moratorium on THC Vape Products

Vaping of High-Potency THC Products Carries Significant Physical, Mental Health Risks for Users

(Alexandria, VA) – In response to a growing national crisis over the tragic deaths and hospitalizations of hundreds of people from lung infections associated with e-cigarette products, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former senior drug policy advisor to President Obama, is calling on the Trump Administration, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to enact an immediate, national moratorium on the sale of all THC vape products.

“We are calling on the Trump Administration and the new HHS advisory committee to recognize that THC vaping poses a significant threat to public health and include these dangerous products in their forthcoming recommendations. The sale of THC vaping oils and other products must be halted before more Americans are put at risk,” stated Dr. Kevin Sabet.

The U.S. Surgeon General has already issued a public health advisory that acknowledged the serious physical and mental health consequences associated with today’s commercially produced marijuana products, which include vapes, dabs and waxes. Multiple reports have indicated that the ongoing public health crisis is likely linked to vaped THC products. Even the American Vaping Association’s President Gregory Conley, issued a statement warning Americans, to stop vaping THC oils to avoid hospitalization or death from the products.

“The marijuana vaping crisis is real and poses a significant threat to both physical and mental health. For years, companies like Altria and other major tobacco and e-cigarette brands have demonstrated a willingness to lie to the public about the safety of these products, aggressively marketing these devices as safe, healthy alternatives to traditional smoking,” stated Dr. Sabet.

“If this crisis does not convince lawmakers at a state and federal level that today’s high-potency, industrialized marijuana is dangerous, I don’t know what will. Pot profiteers, both newly legal and on the black market are flooding our communities with new, dangerous drugs and ways to use them. It must stop now before more lives are lost,” he concluded.

Earlier this year, the Secretary of State in Oregon, issued a shocking report about that state’s failure to ensure the safety of marijuana being sold in that state. The report acknowledged that pot products being sold through even ‘legal’ marketplaces included mold, pesticides and other harmful chemicals.

The Surgeon General’s recent public health advisory clearly stated that there are significant physical and mental health risks associated with using marijuana including lower IQ, psychosis, depression and risk of suicide. Those risks, along with the growing body of evidence about e-cigarette’s dangers, must result in strong action by our nation’s leading health and safety agencies to put a stop to the sale of these dangerous products.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: SAM President Dr. Kevin Sabet and SAM Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Advisor Luke Niforatos will be available for on-the-record print, radio, and TV broadcast interviews to provide further comment and commentary on the dangers associated with THC vape products and large scale commercial pot production. Niforatos, a resident of Denver, Colorado, oversees the organization’s federal, state, and educational initiatives, having previously worked in nonprofit community healthcare.

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.

Media Contact:
Colton Grace
(864) 492-6719
[email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –  September 13th, 2019

CONTACT:  Colton Grace [email protected] (864)-492-6719

Leading Marijuana Policy Group Unveils Latest Data on Marijuana Industry Donations

Now featuring donations from K-Street lobbying organizations

(Alexandria, VA) – Today, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), the nation\’s leading, non-partisan non-profit dedicated to opposing marijuana commercialization and holding Big Marijuana accountable, released a thoroughly renovated database with the most up-to-date information available on political contributions made by the marijuana industry to federal elected officials.

The database now includes donations from K Street lobbying firms that work for the marijuana industry, like Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck (for the Cannabis Trade Federation) and Squire Patton Boggs (for John Boehner\’s National Cannabis Roundtable).

\”The flow of political donations from the marijuana industry to elected officials has grown exponentially over the last few years as massive investment from the titans of addiction has increased,\” said Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of SAM and a former senior drug policy advisor to the Obama Administration. \”Big Marijuana is dutifully following the playbook of Big Tobacco and part of that strategy was greasing the wheels on public policy with donations. Another key aspect was keeping those donations under the radar, we aren\’t going to let that happen.\”

This initiative seeks to expose elected officials who pocket money from the marijuana industry and then support policies that would benefit the pot profiteers, such as granting the industry investor access or tying the hands of the FDA from being able to have even basic oversight of the industry.

The Top Five Recipients of Marijuana Industry Donations in Congress

Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) – $103,500
Representative Kathleen Rice (D-NY) – $76,800
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) – $50,300
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) – $32,600
Representative Dave Joyce (R-OH) – $29,700

A 2018 IPSOS poll found 44% of Americans are less likely to support elected officials who take Big Marijuana\’s money, yet more and more politicians are on the receiving end of substantial contributions.

\”We will continue to expose those who take pot money,\” continued Dr. Sabet. \”Elected officials should realize taking federally illegal money from an addiction-for-profit industry is dramatically unpopular. With the Surgeon General raising the alarm on the dangers of marijuana commercialization and normalization, and Big Tobacco and Big Pharma stepping in, we can only expect this to become even more unpopular.\”
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About SAM:

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 30 states.

Evidence shows that marijuana – which has skyrocketed in average potency over the past decades – is addictive and harmful to the human brain especially when used by adolescents. In states that have already legalized the drug, there has been an increase in drugged driving crashes, youth marijuana use, and costs that far outweigh pot revenues.These states have seen a black market that continues to thrive, sustained disparities in marijuana arrest rates, and tobacco company investment in marijuana.

www.learnaboutsam.org

THE MARIJUANA OF THE 1960S SENT ME DOWN A PATH OF MENTAL ILLNESS

As far as I’m concerned, those who claim that marijuana is harmless don’t know what they’re talking about.   Also there’s a misconception that only the stronger pot of today is dangerous.

What you don’t know is that I became addicted to marijuana in my early 20s, and suffered a psychotic breakdown shortly after my 25th birthday. Ever since then I’ve struggled with mental illness, especially depression with frequent thoughts of suicide. I’ve survived these decades by determination, a loving wife, years of therapy, and maximum doses daily of two separate antidepressants.

I had this fiery sphere in my head and couldn’t bear to look at brightly colored paintings or psychedelic album covers, because it felt like they were reaching out. I was so agitated that I was lucky to get four hours of sleep at night. Out in public, I controlled all this by force of will, and extreme concentration, which rendered me practically catatonic, and the effort left me in a state of constant exhaustion.

What saved me?

The only good that came out of this was that six months after the breakdown, I became obsessed with jazz. The focus diverted my attention away from the agony in my mind. And that is why I am here. Every gig, especially when I perform original work, is a victory and gets me closer to the person I could have been.

I hung on through this period by telling myself over and over, “Things will get better.” I also had a tolerant, supportive wife, Jane Lamar-Spicka (1947-2005). It took ten years, but this initial distress gradually ebbed, particularly the agitation and paranoia.

Sunrise of Eternity by George Spicka. Above: Ko, by George Spicka. To view more of George’s interesting works of art, check out his website.

For decades now, I have struggled with mental illness, depression, paranoia, and daily thoughts of suicide. With therapy, I slowly improved over time, but the big breakthrough occurred when I began antidepressants in the late 1990s, two actually, one at full dosage and the other even higher than the recommended dosage. Even so, it’s a daily struggle, but at least I’m free of the enveloping darkness.

That’s why I support these organizations

I belong to three national organizations whose mission is to make people,

especially parents, aware of marijuana’s dangers.

“Smart Approaches to Marijuana” is headed by Kevin Sabet, who formerly worked in President Obama’s office of drug policy. SAM makes sure doctors, victims like myself, AAA, and law enforcement are present to testify as to what is occurring nationwide.

“MomsStrong” has personal stories from parents, siblings, and sometimes the victims themselves, about marijuana’s negative effects of loved ones lives. It was co-founded by Lori Robinson, after her marijuana addicted son killed himself. Just like me, he developed severe depression, as do many others.

For complete story Weed & Good Mental Health DON’T MIX!

Colorado Doctor Sounds Alarm on Marijuana Legalization

High hopes dashed  –  September 6, 2019

Colorado\’s experiment with marijuana legalization has been an epic disaster, according to one doctor seeing its effects on the front lines.

Dr. Karen Randall, an emergency room physician certified in \”cannabis science and medicine,\” said the legalization of marijuana has damaged, rather than helped, her home state. Randall, who spoke alongside former White House drug czar John Walters at the right-leaning Hudson Institute on Friday, said the public is being misled about the effects of recreational marijuana.

\”I think the public needs to know that we are not okay,\” Randall said. \”The grand experiment is not going so well. I don\’t think the public is hearing about this as they should be.\”

Randall has seen a \”marked increase in medical problems\” at the emergency room she works at in Pueblo, Colo. She\’s experienced increased admissions for cannabis-related nausea and cardiac issues. Dr. Randall is likely not alone. One recent study found a three-fold increase in marijuana-related admissions in the aftermath of legalization.

At the same time many patients use legal marijuana heavily under the misguided impression that it has medical benefits, according to Dr. Randall. She cited one patient who used marijuana to treat his brain cancer–unsurprisingly, without success.

\”Patients routinely use a gram a day, five grams a day,\” she said. \”Why? It\’s okay, it\’s legal, it\’s healthy, the industry has said it will cure all kinds of diseases.\”

The Colorado state government is also working to perpetuate this belief. Randall cited the state\’s recent decision to add Autism Spectrum Disorder to the list of conditions eligible for treatment with medical marijuana, which specifically permits the drug\’s use by minors. The Autism Science Foundation says there is \”limited research, and no evidence, on the potential short-term, long-term or neurodevelopmental risks and benefits of medical marijuana or its related compounds in ASD.\”

There is, however, evidence that marijuana adversely affects developing brains. The U.S. surgeon general warned that chronic teen marijuana use negatively affects IQ, school performance, and is even linked to psychotic disorders including schizophrenia.

Randall said the state government has not only ignored scientific findings about marijuana\’s effects to push sales, but failed in the regulatory responsibility it promised would accompany legalization. The surgeon general\’s report noted that marijuana use during pregnancy is linked to \”adverse outcomes, including lower birth weight.\” A recent study of Colorado dispensaries found that 69 percent recommended women use marijuana anyway, with some actually discouraging mothers from telling their doctors about their drug use.

Randall pointed to other commonly cited effects of legalization, including a historic increase in homelessness and a growing population of chronic, marijuana-dependent users. All of these, she suggested, have gone unreported in spite of the toll they are taking on her community.

The glittering image of post-legalization Colorado–with billions in tax revenue and a happy populace–runs up against the uncomfortable reality of poor regulation and patients dangerously misguided about the risks and benefits of marijuana use.

\”There are a whole host of us who are speaking out about it, and people need to start listening and looking to the future,\” Randall said. \”This is going to be a crisis with potential long-term consequences that will far outpace the opioid crisis, with lasting damages and lasting injuries, as well as a significant cost to the public.\”

For complete story https://freebeacon.com/issues/colorado-doctor-sounds-alarm-on-marijuana-legalization/