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Action Needed
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May 2020
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After taking in at least $120,000 in pot industry donations, Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon and Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado introduced a bill that would give a taxpayer-funded bailout to pot businesses in the midst of a pandemic.
Click the link below to tell your Representatives in Congress to reject this outrageous proposal:
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Latest Developments
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Victory in New York As Lawmakers Advance Budget Bills With No Legalization Language
 In a tremendous victory for the second year in a row, New York State legislative leaders advanced a budget containing only essential line items pertaining to the operations of the state in response the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, state lawmakers refrained from including marijuana legalization as a part of the budget.
“Lawmakers in Albany have responded swiftly to the ongoing issue related to the COVID-19 outbreak and have wisely chosen to focus on the betterment of New Yorkers and the protection of public health and safety. As we have said previously, the consideration of marijuana legalization and commercialization during this outbreak is unconscionable and extremely shortsighted. While at this time this may be the least of their concern, it is encouraging for all of us New Yorkers that there is one less threat to public health for the time being.”
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ACLU Admits Marijuana Legalization Has Not Resulted in Social Justice
 A study conducted by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) , a group that has endorsed marijuana legalization and commercialization, finds that liberalizing marijuana policies has not delivered on one of its key promises: social justice.
The study states that while marijuana decriminalization and legalization may reduce the overall amount of people arrested for possession of the drug, African Americans are still far more likely to be arrested than whites. Furthermore, the study found that arrest disparities increased in Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, and Oregon following legalization.
“We commend the ACLU for issuing this report. Ironically, this shows, on the so-called ‘marijuana holiday’ of 4/20, that legalization has failed to deliver on one of its key promises,” said Dr. Kevin Sabet . “This study confirms other previous reports and it should serve as a reference for those supporting legalization to look deeper into empty promises of this movement.” |
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SAM Launches New Resource Exposing Addiction Investments in Big Marijuana
 A s a part of its ongoing effort to expose the Big Tobacco and other predatory industries rushing to take over the commercial marijuana industry, SAM released a new webpage focused on laying out the many investments made into Big Marijuana from addiction-for-profit conglomerates, as well as highlighting the former federal lawmakers who are now on the marijuana industry’s payroll.
“The corporate marijuana industry that is developing in our country and in Canada wants to paint an image of a small, mom and pop movement, but this is far from the truth,” said Dr. Kevin Sabet. ” Big Alcohol, Big Tobacco, and Big Pharma are in the process of taking over marijuana. This resource is just one more part of our effort to expose the concerning truth to the public-do we really want another predatory industry?”
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SAM Announces Local Control Resource Center to Aid Nationwide Opt-Out Movement
 SAM announced the rollout its Local Control Resource Center, the second wave of its initiative aiding communities looking to exert local control by banning commercial marijuana operations.
“Our ‘ Towns and Cities Initiative‘ arms local communities with the resources they need to keep their neighborhoods free of marijuana shops and large scale growing operations that normalize this addiction-for-profit industry,” said Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of SAM and a former senior drug policy advisor to the Obama Administration. “People living in a state that has either ‘legalized’ pot or is considering it should know they have the power to organize against Big Pot. Our Local Control Resource Center provides all the information needed to successfully accomplish this.”
Resources available on SAM’s Local Control Resource Center include:
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SAM Launches First-Of-Its-Kind Marijuana State Laws Map
 For too long, the lack of an objective, fact-based resource on state marijuana laws has been used by Big Marijuana to advance a narrative that allowing them to push their super potent marijuana products on our young people is inevitable.
We are dispensing of these myths by releasing the first-of-its-kind marijuana state laws map to show that the majority of America does not allow marijuana use.
Click the map above to check it out and let us know what you think.
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Latest Studies Round-Up
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Two New Studies Add to Body of Evidence of Marijuana Commercialization’s Harms
The first, a review and meta-analysis with over 23,000 participants conducted by researchers from Queen’s University in Ontario and the University of Calgary and published in the JAMA Network Open , found that 47 percent of regular marijuana users experience symptoms of Cannabis Withdrawal Syndrome (CWS) when they cease use of the drug. The study’s authors posited that because “many CWS criteria are depression or anxiety symptoms, regular users may seek cannabis to obtain short-term symptom relief, unaware that this use could perpetuate a longer-term withdrawal problem.”
The second, a review of recent research published in the preeminent journal JAMA Psychiatry , states that in the states that have “legalized” marijuana, prices for the drug have decreased while use and dependence has increased among adults. Furthermore, the review states that the risk of dependence has risen from around 9 percent in the early 1990s, to nearly 30 percent today.
Majority of “Medical” Marijuana Too Potent to Be Useful for Pain
A new study published in PLOS One , a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Public Library of Science, finds that THC concentrations in marijuana products sold in marijuana storefronts in the United States are not effective for neuropathic pain relief because they contain too much THC-two to three times higher than the amount shown in studies may provide neuropathic pain relief.
The study also showed there are no clinical differences between “medical” and recreational marijuana. The study concluded that these high levels of THC are counterproductive to treating neuropathic pain. Other studies have shown that THC has no efficacy in reducing other kinds of chronic pain.
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Op-Ed Corner
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MARIJUANA: PREVENTING ANOTHER BIG TOBACCO MEDIA CAMPAIGN TOOLKIT NOW AVAILABLE
Big Marijuana is borrowing the playbook of Big Tobacco in search of the same deep profits at the expense of addicted users. It is time to combat their game with the facts! To help you do so, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) has partnered with Communities for Alcohol and Drug Free Youth (CADY) to offer a comprehensive media campaign prevention toolkit.  |
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As always, thank you for being a SAM supporter. If you can, please chip-in with a small donation by clicking here.
If you can’t chip-in, then at the very least, and help grow the SAM community.
All the best,
Colton Grace
Communications Associate
Smart Approaches to Marijuana
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