USA: BIG WEED ROUNDUP!

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We have been blessed to be able to share our message in the pages of newspapers and media outlets all across the country this year.
In New York, we have covered made our case loud and clear in numerous papers throughout the states:
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In The Buffalo News,  we pointed out that the rush to legalize marijuana in New York is not going to benefit the state or be a \”win\” for social justice, it will only serve to enrich the Wall Street investors, Big Tobacco, and Big Pharma:
\” Since Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo flip-flopped on recreational marijuana the issue of legalization has gained an unfortunate air of inevitability. This perception has spurred Wall Street investors to dive in and brought cheers from pro-pot advocates who claim legal weed is a major step for social justice…\”
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In the Daily News, we addressed how New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was making a dangerous mistake by putting the interests of the marijuana industry over public health and safety:
\” Just last year, Gov. Cuomo stood on the side of public health when he stated he was against legalizing marijuana because \”marijuana leads to other drugs and there\’s a lot of proof that that\’s true.\” Now, in a sudden about-face, he is ignoring the state medical society and has officially called for the state legislature to legalize the drug. Given the high potency rates of today\’s marijuana, Cuomo\’s new position is dangerous for our state.\”
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In LoHud,  we challenged Governor Cuomo\’s assumption that legalization would be a windfall for the state in terms of tax revenue:
\” On his way out the door, California\’s governor, a Democrat, stated plainly: \”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.\” What makes us think the New York experiment will be any different?\”
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The General Law Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly passed a bill to legalize the commercial sale of marijuana in the state on the same day that the New Jersey Senate was forced to cancel a scheduled vote on its bill to set up the marijuana industry there. In the Hartford Courant, we argued that Connecticut lawmakers should follow the example of other states and reject Big Marijuana:
\”Legalizing marijuana would unleash the second coming of Big Tobacco – which is currently investing billions into Big Marijuana – by legitimizing an industry that markets highly potent, unregulated pot products. This will be like pouring gasoline on the fire that is the opioid epidemic. Connecticut lawmakers should defend public health, safety, and commonsense and kick the industry to the curb.\”

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In  The Hill, a prominent national media outlet focusing on federal policy, our Director of Local Affairs and Executive Director of High Means DUI, Dana Stevens,  pushed back on dangerous, pro-pot comments made by California Senator Kamala Harris:
\”California senator and 2020 presidential candidate Kamala Harris admitted during her recent appearance on \”The Breakfast Club\” radio show that she smoked pot in college. In an apparent effort to seem \’cool\’ for the hosts and audience, and making references to popular rap music, she went on to say, \”I think it [marijuana] gives a lot of people joy. And we need more joy in the world.\” Few would criticize Harris for smoking a joint in college, but her clear misunderstanding about the differences between today\’s high-potency, commercialized marijuana and her college joint, are alarming. It demonstrates just how effective \’Big Marijuana\’ lobbyists have been at convincing politicians that legalizing weed is no big deal.\”

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Additionally, after SAM testified against the so-called SAFE Act, a bill that would grant the marijuana industry access to the federal banking system, we  shared a piece detailing a comprehensive argument against the bill:
\”Over the past week, many have discussed the recent congressional hearing for the so-called SAFE Act, a bill that supporters say would grant the marijuana industry access to the federal banking system. In reality, this bill should be renamed the UN-SAFE Act.
Let me explain why…\”

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In Illinois, where newly-elected governor JB Pritzker has made legalization a key part of his policy platform, we are actively ramping up our activity and getting our message out.

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In the  Journal Star , we announced the beginning of our efforts in the state to oppose marijuana legalization and discuss the efforts our grassroots coalition was undertaking to push back against the promoters of the marijuana industry:
\”As Gov. JB Pritzker charges ahead in his push for legalized recreational marijuana, a growing coalition of Illinois citizens, healthcare professionals, law enforcement, and parents are telling lawmakers to slow down and look at the facts before we recklessly approve recreational pot in our state.\”
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In the  Rock Island Dispatch Argus, SAM Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Advisor,
Luke Niforatos,  detailed his experiences from living in Colorado when the state voted to legalize:
\”Calling Denver home when Big Marijuana first moved in, I experienced all of the problems firsthand that came with legalization. It was hard to walk my young daughter in her stroller without her being covered by secondhand smoke and the smell of weed in the air. But what do you expect when in cities like Denver, there are more pot shops than McDonald\’s and Starbucks combined?\”
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When a bill to export pot out of Oregon was introduced, we  addressed how this would be illegal as the federal government regulates interstate commerce. Additionally, Oregon\’s marijuana is famously unregulated and the state itself admitted that it could not verify its marijuana was safe for human consumption:
\”Oregon has a massive problem on its hands. That problem is the more than 1 million pounds of pot that was grown in the state that has gone unsold through legal channels. So, what do pro-pot industry lawmakers in the state want to do about their glaring overproduction problem? They want to engage in state-sponsored trafficking of pot.\”
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A bill to legalize marijuana cleared a committee in the  New Hampshire General Assembly recently. Although its prospects are dim, we still placed an oped in the Nashua Telegraph outlining why New Hampshire lawmakers should follow the example of New Jersey and kill the bill:
\”At the end of last month, a bill to legalize marijuana passed a key committee in the New Hampshire House. While the bill certainly has an uphill climb, no lawmaker who truly has the interest of public health and safety would let this proposal see the light of day. To find out why, let\’s take a look at how it has affected other states.\”
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In the Colorado Springs Gazette, SAM Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Advisor Luke Niforatosdiscussed the serious health and safety risks associated with high potency marijuana concentrates and called on Colorado lawmakers to ban their sale and use:
\”The research is very clear that concentrates are linked to psychosis, toxicity, addiction and many other public health hazards. They are also responsible for butane explosions that have claimed lives and destroyed homes. And, of course, more children are accessing these highly dangerous products, and that is not the future we want for Colorado families.\”
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In the largest paper in Hawaii,  we made the case that the argument for legalizing marijuana because of mass incarceration is a false argument:
\”Promoters of Big Pot – an industry that markets gummies, candies and lollipops in kid-friendly, colorful labels that find their way into the hands of children – often claim the illegal status of marijuana keeps our prisons stocked with low-level, non-violent offenders. In reality, this is simply not true.\”
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In New Jersey, where we recently scored a huge win by forcing the State Senate to cancel a vote on the legalization bill, we have been a regular presence in the editorial pages of the Asbury Park Press :
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NJ-RAMP Advisor Ijeoma Oparaparticipated in a \”Pro/Con\” debate arguingthat the proposed social justice arguments in favor of legalization can only truly be accomplished by supporting Senator Ron Rice\’s decriminalization and expungement bill.
\” It seems like every day there is a new twist in the long odyssey to legalize marijuana in New Jersey. One of the most widely used arguments centers on the issue of social justice. And while it is true that drug laws have disproportionately fallen on people of color, marijuana legalization is the wrong remedy.\”
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Additionally, Stephen Reid, who serves as the Executive Director of NJ-RAMP, argued in the paper that the promised windfall being used by Governor Murphy as a selling point for legalization in the state  will fail to materialize:
\” In his State of the State address last week and in many other instances, Murphy has repeatedly stated that social justice is the main driver of his push for legalization. But the reality is the governor is really after the tax revenue that supporters of legalization like to talk so much about. If the true purpose for legalization was about social justice, surely the current sticking point over the rate at which the state should tax the substance wouldn\’t exist.\”
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Finally, in the days leading up to the vote, SAM president Dr. Kevin Sabet and NJ-RAMP Executive Director Stephen Reidargued that marijuana legalization is not the way forward for the state:
\” The pot industry is longing to become the next Big Tobacco and will do everything in its power to decrease regulations and maximize its own profits – at the expense of public health and safety. Lawmakers need only to look at the alarming example of other states to see why marijuana legalization is the wrong path for New Jersey.\”
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Please take a moment to read through these op-eds and let me know what you think. If you would like to help us continue to get the message out and keep holding the marijuana industry accountable,  chip-in with a donation by clicking here .
Thanks for all you do,
Best,
Kevin Sabet
President, Smart Approaches to Marijuana 

 

UK: Chief Medical Officer Seeing Through the \’Smoke Screen\’!

Dame Sally sees sense over cannabis — she can’t say we didn’t warn her

BETTER late than never, but it’s a pity that the Chief Medical Officer, Dame Sally Davies, did not see fit to warn against the perils of legalising medicinal cannabis when she had the chance to stop it.

Dame Sally’s recommendation allowed ‘cannabis-based medicinal products’ to be ‘rescheduled’ — in effect legalised — although the evidence of efficacy from her own review was extremely limited, the problems associated with the medicalisation of cannabis were well known and the testimonial evidence that so influenced the Home Secretary fell far short of the standards required for the approval of other drugs, i.e. ‘adequately powered, double blind, placebo controlled randomised clinical trials’.

Since then medical researchers have warned against unrealistic expectations for the treatment of epilepsy.

Patients, she told them, believe (falsely) that the drug can cure multiple conditions. Furthermore, ‘despite being recently legalised for medical use’, there was currently insufficient evidence to prove the products are both effective and safe. Now she tells us.

Ironic but welcome, not least to hear her voicing her concerns about safety: ‘THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) we know has an impact on the brain and causes depression, schizophrenia, brain development problems in young and adolescents.’ It was also welcome to hear her comment, ‘If a pregnant mother was taking it I’d be very worried.’ For good reason too. Gestational cannabis has been linked with a clear continuum of birth defects in a range of longitudinal studies, as well as increased foetal death, and reflects a worldwide increase in high cannabis-using areas. It’s high time we had full public health information about quite how dangerous (in so many ways) this addictive and therefore difficult to treat drug can be.

At least Dame Sally is now listening. Perhaps she might now encourage the Home Secretary to review his ill-considered decision.

For complete article  Dame Sally Sees Sense on Cannabis

 

USA: NJ Backdown on Legalizing Weed Vote – Why?

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Dear friend,
In case you missed it, the New Jersey State Senate was just forced to cancel a scheduled vote on a bill to legalize marijuana.
Why?
Thanks to the efforts of our affiliate, NJ-RAMP and its Executive Director, Stephen Reid, Senator Ron Rice of the New Jersey Black Legislative Caucus, Bishop Jethro James of Paradise Baptist Church, Mary Pat Angelini, former legislator, and many other bi-partisan leaders and social justice activists who refused to let Big Pot target their communities.
The advocacy of this coalition helped convince legislators in New Jersey see through the smokescreen put up by Big Marijuana and realize the dire consequences legalization could bring.
This victory is by far the greatest of the past year, but we are just getting started.
Governor Phil Murphy in New Jersey won\’t give up on the bill. New York\’s Legislature- many of it\’s members were watching this New Jersey outcome very closely- is shuddering as the push for legalization in the budget has all but failed in the face of our valiant coalition. Illinois\’ state leadership also watched this titanic victory closely as they prepare to unveil their misguided legalization bill any week.
We have Big Marijuana on the run, but now is not the time for a victory lap. We need your help. Many state legislative sessions do not end until this summer.
Join us and chip in with a donation to help bring even more historic victories to the cause of public health and safety!
I applaud you for all your efforts.
All the best,
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Dr. Kevin Sabet
President and Founder
Smart Approaches to Marijuana
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.
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  c osts that far outweigh pot revenues. These states have seen  a black market that continues to thrive, sustained marijuana arrest rates, and tobacco company investment in marijuana .

UK: Skunk Shock – Children Pay Price for Pothead Paradise??

Children aged NINE are damaged by cannabis: Shocking toll of young patients admitted to hospital with mental disorders

  • More than 3,400 patients under 19 went to hospital due to mental and behavioural illnesses brought on by cannabis last year
  • NHS figures show the number of admission has risen 38 per cent since 2013/14
  • Teenagers say cannabis has become more accessible through social media sites
  • Dealers may post cannabis bag pictures on Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram
  • James Hamilton had a cannabis addiction aged 14 and developed depression

By SOPHIE BORLAND HEALTH EDITOR FOR THE DAILY MAIL 25 March 2019

Children as young as nine are being admitted to hospital with severe disorders caused by cannabis, figures reveal.

More than 3,400 patients under the age of 19 were admitted last year because of mental and behavioural illnesses triggered by the drug.

Doctors are seeing a ‘whole new generation’ with serious problems, who are increasingly buying cannabis via social media websites.

NHS figures show that admissions for disorders caused by the drug among under-19s have risen by 38 per cent since 2013/14, and by 10 per cent in the past year alone.

Last week a major study in the Lancet Psychiatry journal revealed that potent forms of the drug increased the risk of psychotic disorders five-fold. A shocking 30 per cent of new cases of psychosis in London are linked to skunk cannabis, the King’s College London researchers found.

For complete and disturbing article go to Evil Drug Destroying Lives

 

USA: Yale Professor Slams Pot!

A Yale Doctor Warns of Dangers of Pot Legalization

One of the state’s most vocal opponents of legalizing recreational marijuana in recent years has been Dr. Deepak D’Souza, a research scientist and professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine.

In testimony before the legislature and in his role as a member of the state medical marijuana program’s board of physicians, an advisory group for lawmakers, D’Souza has laid out what he says are the dangers of legalization. His four areas of concern are the impact on young people and the developing brain; the anticipated increase in cannabis use disorder; the negative impact on people with serious mental illness; and increased motor vehicle accidents. For complete article Yale Professor of Slams Pot!

 

UK: Skunk Insanity Grows – Casualties Mount – But Who Cares?

UK: The wards are full of lives wrecked by the evil drug that is cannabis DR MAX THE MIND DOCTOR:

25 March 2019

Walk on to any mental health ward as I have and you will be confronted with the tragic victims of our lackadaisical attitude towards cannabis.

There is mounting evidence to show the drug is having a horrific effect on the young, not least the Mail’s disturbing story today. A third of psychosis cases in London are the result of smoking skunk, according to research. Another study by Oxford University showed it increases the risk of depression in teenagers by 40 per cent.

They join the hundreds of other studies which show that, far from being the harmless substance campaigners would have us believe, cannabis is a dangerous, damaging intoxicant that has a profound effect on the structure and function of the brain.

We don’t enforce the law on cannabis, which means parents who are bravely trying to steer their children away from it are unsupported by the criminal justice system, writes Dr Max Pemberton

The wards are littered with similar examples of lives wrecked, sometimes for a short time, sometimes permanently. I have seen dozens of people who have become psychotic using cannabis, and the number has increased recently as the stronger forms have become more widely available.

The lives ruined by cannabis aren’t on display for everyone to see because they’re locked away in mental hospitals.

DR MAX THE MIND DOCTOR: The wards are full of lives wrecked by the evil drug that is cannabis

 

Canada: Cannabis Consumption Up with Permission Model in Place! Who Knew?

Cannabis Consumption on the Rise With Canadians Since Legalization

March, 2019

Vancouver, BC — According to a new study called “The Future of Cannabis in Canada” conducted by Insights West for Resonance Consultancy in partnership with Valens GroWorks, there has been a Canadian-wide increase in Cannabis consumption since legalization and strong future demand for edibles. However, the black and grey market for buying still dominates legal cannabis economy, at least for the time being.

According to our research, the market has grown considerably for cannabis consumption overall given the number of existing users who have increased their consumption levels and the number of new users coming on steam since legalization. Nearly one quarter (23%) of the general Canadian adult 19+ population has consumed cannabis in any shape or form since legalization, a full 16% of cannabis users report an increase in consumption since that day, and 5% are new cannabis users. A smaller percentage (9%) report lower consumption and about 70% of cannabis users report no difference in consumption levels.

Cannabis is currently being consumed in a variety of ways and situations for Canadians. Although the most prevalent form of cannabis consumed by cannabis users is still smoking it in a joint, we also see growing trends of consuming cannabis through newer methods such as edibles, vaping, oils, and in drinks. More than two-thirds (68%) of past-year cannabis users consume cannabis by smoking a joint, with 36% of them stating it is their regular choice of consumption, followed by 32% who say “occasionally”. Despite not being legal yet, edibles are next highest on the list, with 36% using this method of consumption on a regular/occasional basis. Vaping and oils are lower on the list at 30% and 27% respectively.  A further 10% say they consume cannabis in drinkables on a regular/occasional basis.

There are a wide variety of consumption scenarios for cannabis users across the country.  Most cannabis users regularly or occasionally consume cannabis in their own home (72%), and 67% of cannabis users consume it with friends. Interestingly, cannabis consumers are more likely to consume while alone (63% stated regularly or occasionally) compared to at a party (56% regularly or occasionally). Worryingly, 16% of cannabis users have consumed cannabis while driving or while in a motor vehicle, with 9% stating regularly or occasionally.

For complete article go to Insights West

 

Global: UK Study Confirms – yet again – Link between Weed and Psychosis!

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March 19, 2019 CONTACT: Colton Grace [email protected]
(864)-492-6719

Groundbreaking New UK Study Confirms Link Between Daily, High Potency Marijuana Use and Psychosis
New study is the first to show the impact of marijuana use on population rates of psychosis; Daily marijuana users three times more likely to have a diagnosis of first episode psychosis; rises to five times more likely with high potency marijuana

(Alexandria, VA) – Today, a landmark study published in the prestigious Lancet Psychiatry Journal finds that daily use of high potency marijuana is linked to greater rates of psychosis in Europe. According to the study, an estimated five in ten new cases of psychosis in Amsterdam and three in ten new cases in London are linked with high potency marijuana use.

\”This study is groundbreaking,\” said Dr. Kevin Sabet, president ofSmart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a former Obama Administration drug policy advisor. \”It is the first to show how marijuana impacts population rates of psychosis – and it\’s results are chilling. For years we have known that low potency marijuana was damaging to mental health. Now the scientific literature is catching up with the rapidly increasing THC potency we are seeing on the market today.\”
Numerous studies have shown a causal link between marijuana use and onset of severe mental health issues, such as psychosis and schizophrenia, but this is the first study to showcase the link at a population level. The study finds that daily, average potency marijuana users were three times more likely to be diagnosed with first episode psychosis compared to non-users. With daily use of high potency marijuana, this number increased to five times more likely.
\”Our findings are consistent with previous studies showing that the
use of cannabis with a high concentration of THC has more harmful effects on mental health than the use of weaker forms. They also indicate for the first time how cannabis use affects the incidence
of psychotic disorder at a population level,\” said Dr Marta Di Forti, lead author from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King\’s College London, UK. \”As the legal status of cannabis changes in many countries and states, and as we consider the medicinal properties of some types of cannabis, it is of vital public health importance that we also consider the potential adverse effects that are associated with daily cannabis use, especially high potency varieties.\”
Moreover, the study found that instances of first time psychosis in London would be cut by a third if high potency marijuana products were no longer available.

Sabet continued, \”Lawmakers considering marijuana legalization are not learning about studies such as this from the well-heeled marijuana industry lobbyists. We will get this study, and others like it, in front of lawmakers at all levels of government to educate them on the real impact of allowing the commercialization of high potency marijuana to spread.\”
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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.

 

COLORADO: Cannabis Chaos Creating Even More Casualties of Children

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 26, 2019
CONTACT: Colton Grace [email protected] (864)-492-6719

 

BREAKING: New Study Highlights Skyrocketing ER Visits in Colorado

(Alexandria, VA) – A new study released yesterday in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that the rise in marijuana use in Colorado since the state legalized the drug has led to increased emergency room visits. The study found that 9,973 marijuana-related emergency room visits occurred from 2012-2016, more than triple the number that occurred prior to legalization. Additionally, the study found that 10.7% of visits at UCHealth were due to the ingestion of high potency marijuana edibles.
\”Evidence continues to build the case that marijuana legalization results in harmful impacts on public health and safety,\” said Dr. Kevin Sabet, founder of Smart Approaches to Marijuana and a former senior drug policy advisor to the Obama Administration. \”Marijuana is no longer the weed of Woodstock. The industry is churning out new, highly potent candies, gummies, sodas, and ice creams as well as concentrates and vape pens that contain up to 99% THC. These kid-friendly products are regularly getting into the hands of children, whose developing brains are incredibly susceptible to permanent damage from this highly potent pot.\”
The study found that 17% of emergency room visits were due to uncontrolled vomiting that was associated with the smoked form of the drug. Previous research has labeled this phenomenon as \”scromiting,\” or Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome. 12% of the visits were for acute psychosis and this was associated with high potency edibles. 8% of visits were associated with cardiovascular issues such as irregular heartbeat or even heart attacks after ingestion of edibles.
Another recent study found that the use of high potency edibles was directly linked with increases in severe mental illness, such as psychosis, and stated that if higher potency concentrates and edibles were removed from the market, instances of psychosis would be reduced by a third.
\”Lawmakers rushing to legalize marijuana need to slow down and consider the implications it could bring upon their state,\” continued Dr. Sabet. \”They are certainly not receiving information such as this from the pot industry\’s army of lobbyists. This is why organizations such as SAM are so important. We work tirelessly to combat the industry narrative that marijuana is harmless.
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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.
Marijuana is not a harmless drug. View the stories of its victims here. 

For more information about marijuana use and its effects, visit www.learnaboutsam.org
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