Today, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment released their bi-annual “Monitoring Health Concerns Related to Marijuana in Colorado” report.

Our takeaways: The report finds there have been significant increases in past-month and daily or near-daily use among adults, marijuana-impaired driving, exposures in children under the age of five, and use of high potency forms of the drug among high school students.

Today, we are pleased to announce the release of our fourth annual “Lessons Learned from Marijuana Legalization” Impact Report.

learnaboutsam.org/wp-content/upl… The report is a comprehensive collection of the latest data and findings that track how marijuana legalization has affected commercialized states.

It greatly underscores the importance of slowing down the rush to commercialize marijuana in the United States.

Today, we are proud to be partnering with @positivelysober and @goleadco to present the Illinois Marijuana Prevention Summit! "These marijuana companies have a advertise first, apologize later mentality to marketing their products."
-@WillVJones

Today, the Vermont Senate advanced S. 54, a bill to commercialize marijuana in the state.

Ahead of the vote, top marijuana researchers sent Vermont Governor @GovPhilScott a letter encouraging him to continue his pro-public health stance by vetoing the bill.

🔽🔽🔽 Notably, S. 54 drops a House-backed provision that would have banned marijuana industry advertising and lacks a solid, roadside saliva provision that Governor Phil Scott has insisted upon in order for him to support it.

🚨🚨🚨 BREAKING 🚨🚨🚨

Ahead of a tentatively scheduled vote next week in the U.S. House on the MORE Act, a bill that would federally commercialize marijuana, a coalition of thirty groups sent a letter to House leadership opposing the bill.

Statement🔽🔽🔽 “Almost 200,000 Americans have lost their lives and countless others are barely making ends meet. That anyone in Congress could fathom holding so much as a meeting on marijuana legalization at this time is beyond comprehension."

-@KevinSabet

On Friday, @samhsagov released the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which was packed with some key takeaways to highlight during #RecoveryMonth.

Notably, some 699,000 youth have an addiction to marijuana in 2019 – representing 187,000 new youth cases of CUD. Overall, more than 4.8 million people aged 12 or older reported Marijuana Use Disorder in 2019, up from 4.4 million in 2018.

#RecoveryMonth

Mint Illinois is using a “social equity partner” to get them access to every region in Illinois’ marijuana license lottery. Why haven’t they revealed the identity of this person if social equity is to be celebrated and promoted? #ShadyLottery chicagotribune.com/marijuana/illi… 40% of current license applicants satisfy the “social equity” requirement because they hired an external party to fill this role. The Illinois Legislative Black and Latino caucuses have called for a suspension and review of the marijuana lottery.

chicagotribune.com/marijuana/illi…

BREAKING:

Today, new data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS), an annual survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Prevention (CDC) confirms concerning trends when it comes to substance abuse, especially marijuana use, in high school students.

(Thread) "One data point that should ring alarm bells is the fact that having ever used marijuana was the top risk factor to misusing prescription opioids in the past month. We have to understand that drug use does not happen in a vacuum - co-use is a real phenomenon.”

-@KevinSabet

Given new data out of Colorado showing increases in youth use of high potency marijuana concentrates, it's worth revisiting @LukeNiforatos's piece from last year arguing for a ban on such concentrates:

gazette.com/opinion/column… Numerous studies have shown that concentrates have increased negative impacts.

One study found evidence to “suggest a psychotic risk with cannabis wax,” well beyond the already risky lower potency marijuana products.

sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

A powerful post we came across on Instagram shared some heartwrenching facts about the reality of the marijuana industry's failure to live up to its promises of social justice.

(Thread)

Here is a link to the original post: instagram.com/p/CBoEVZ6lDkk/…

As is, unfortunately, the standard when it comes to Big Pot, the marijuana industry is using social justice as a “bait-and-switch” tactic in order to swindle Congress into giving it a taxpayer-funded bailout.

(Thread) As a recap, marijuana stores have been allowed to stay open in all “marijuana-legal” states, with the exception of Massachusetts.

There, the industry has sued Governor Charlie Baker in order to force him to reverse his decision, but to no avail.

Over the last few days, we have had several opinion pieces run at media outlets across the country explaining how the marijuana industry has been strong-arming state and local leaders into keeping its pot shops open. In the @nypost, SAM president @KevinSabet argues that “In the interest of the health and safety of Americans, marijuana stores shouldn’t be deemed ‘essential’ — they should be closed."

nypost.com/2020/04/16/sor…

A study conducted by the ACLU, a group that has endorsed marijuana commercialization, finds that legalization has not delivered on one of its key promises: social justice. The study states that while legalization may reduce the amount of people arrested for possession of the drug, African Americans are still far more likely to be arrested than whites.

This week, two important studies were published that continue to build upon the body of evidence that marijuana legalization and subsequent commercialization is an affront to public health and safety.

(Thread) The first, a review and meta-analysis with over 23,000 participants found that 47% of regular marijuana users experience symptoms of Cannabis Withdrawal Syndrome (CWS) when they cease use of the drug.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jaman…

🚨 BREAKING 🚨

A new study finds that THC concentrations in marijuana products sold in storefronts in the U.S. are not effective for neuropathic pain relief as they contain two to three times higher THC than the amount shown to potentially provide neuropathic pain relief. The study looked at 8,505 different marijuana products across 653 dispensaries, finding that the majority of products offered were well beyond the THC dosing considered by some to have therapeutic properties (THC <5-10%).

As if one needed another reason to stand against marijuana commercialization, a recent study published in the journal Addiction builds upon the mountain of evidence that the reckless, drastic policy change results in negative outcomes for public health.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.111… The study finds that marijuana commercialization was associated with a 67-77% increase in marijuana exposure calls to poison control centers, with a dramatic rise in exposures among those below the age of 21.

Today, the House VA Committee voted on two bills related to veterans and marijuana: one expanding research on marijuana and its components to find new FDA-approved medicines, and another that would allow VA doctors to issue medical marijuana recommendations to veterans. “We support any serious effort to expand research into cannabinoids that may have medicinal benefits. Our veterans deserve the best healthcare they can get for the sacrifices they have made for our country."

Today, the first marijuana storefront in Boston opens its doors. The marijuana storefront opens roughly a year and a half since “legal” sales began in Massachusetts.

Notably, the store is the first to be opened as a part of the state’s social equity program.

Statement: Four years ago, a bipartisan group of lawmakers formed a campaign to promote the fact that marijuana commercialization would prove harmful.

They were right then and have only been proven right given the evidence of harms resulting from legal pot.

bit.ly/2IzGWFG

Today, we 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.

learnaboutsam.org/industry-profi… Big Tobacco companies, such as Altria, have begun heavily investing in marijuana cultivating companies and in companies with cutting edge vaping technology such as Pax Labs (creator of Juul) and Auxly.

🚨🚨🚨

BREAKING: A new poll from Emerson College found that 64.6 percent voters in six Long Island, NY Senate districts support polices other than marijuana commercialization when presented with the full spectrum of drug policy options.

Statement 🔽🔽🔽 “The senators from Long Island must put the interests and wishes of their constituents over the demands of Big Marijuana and its lobbyists and PR professionals.”
-SAM President @KevinSabet

.@POLITICOPro gave a tongue-in-cheek shout out to @Curaleaf_Inc in their newsletter this morning, but that's not nearly Curaleaf's biggest problem... They acquired a marijuana vape/concentrate maker in Oregon called Cura last year:

oregonlive.com/business/2019/…