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News Roundup
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February 2020
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Here is a brief rundown of marijuana news as well as an update on what we have been up to over the last month.
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New Study: Marijuana Impaired Traffic Deaths Doubled in Washington State Following Legalization
A new study released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found the percentage of drivers in Washington State involved in fatal car crashes testing positive for marijuana has doubled since the state “legalized” marijuana for recreational use in 2012.
According to the study, Washington drivers involved in fatal car crashes who tested positive for marijuana increased from 9 percent in the five-year period prior to legalization to around 18 percent in the five-year period after legalization. What’s more, the study found that about one in five drivers involved in fatal car crashes in 2017 tested positive for marijuana.
“Marijuana-impaired driving is rising across all states that have ‘legalized’ marijuana and this study is further confirmation of an alarming trend,” said Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM)
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New DEA Report: Marijuana Legalization Benefits Criminal Drug Traffickers
A comprehensive report released by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) finds that the illicit marijuana market is increasing in states that have “legalized” the substance; growing operations-that often occur on public lands-present a significant draw on resources and a dramatic threat to local environments; and criminal organizations are using revenue from marijuana production to fund further criminal activity in the country.
In its conclusion, the report states that “domestic production and trafficking of marijuana will likely increase as more states adopt or change current marijuana laws to establish medical or recreational marijuana markets, allowing criminals to exploit state legality.”
“While the proponents of marijuana legalization claim in every state capitol that marijuana commercialization will eradicate the underground market, wresting the profits from the drug out of the hands of criminals and into state coffers, reality has proven this to be categorically false,” said Dr. Kevin Sabet. “As this report shows, not only has legalization failed to do away with the underground market, it has only served to make it stronger and more profitable for criminal organizations.”
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New Study: Youth Marijuana Addiction Rates 25 Percent Higher in “Legalized States”
A study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry found that rates of marijuana addiction among teens (12-17) in states that have “legalized” marijuana were 25 percent higher than in states that have not legalized the substance. Among adults (26 or older), past-month use rates were 26 percent higher. What’s more, past-month frequent use and past-year problematic use among this age group increased by 23 percent and 37 percent respectively.
“Legalization has allowed Big Tobacco and Big Marijuana to relentlessly market and normalize highly potent marijuana. While much of the data on marijuana is still out, we do know that increased availability leads to increased use, which leads to increased rates of addiction,” said Dr. Kevin Sabet. “Legalization efforts are sending the message that marijuana use is safe and state sanctioned. No amount of marijuana use is safe for young people and more must be done to halt its normalization.”
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Three States + Three Press Conferences = One Big Day for SAM
SAM affiliates held press conferences around the country recently, denoucing pushes to legalize marijuana.
In New Mexico, a coalition of public health and safety groups, business groups, and representatives of New Mexico state law enforcement gathered in the Capitol Rotunda to announce their united opposition to legalization and urge lawmakers to once again defeat an effort to legalize marijuana.
In New York, a group of concerned New Yorkers gathered in front of NYS Senator Pete Harckham’s District Office to host a press conference urging Senator Harckham to join the majority of public health and safety organizations in NYS and oppose the passage of any bill creating a commercial marijuana industry in New York.
SAM affiliates also convened in Virginia, where state legislators are beginning to consider language for recreational marijuana legalization. There, SAM Community Outreach and Communications Associate, Will Jones, presented the social justice case against legalization.
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Billboards and Other Large Advertisements
![]() Interested in really making a splash on the marijuana issue ? Use our artwork on a billboard, bus ad, building-sized poster, or other installation that is sure to draw public attention, and maybe even media coverage! We have successfully used billboards such as the one above to drive media and policymakers’ attention to the harms of marijuana legalization and you can, too!
Contact us at [email protected] to jump-start your marijuana awareness work.
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SAVE THE DATE!
2020 SAM SUMMIT
![]() Registration is now open for the The 2020 SAM Summit taking place in Nashville, TN alongside the Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit. This is the perfect option for interested and concerned parties to learn more about what the current research says about the negative effects of marijuana normalization on public health and safety.
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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.
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