New Administration’s Drug Policy Must Put Public Health Front and Center.

WASHINGTON, DC – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement on Jan 20th, upon the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 47^th President of the United States of America: 

“In November, voters across red and blue states rejected the legalization of drugs like marijuana and psychedelics by a wide margin. It was a repudiation of the addiction industry that has proven time and again it will stop at nothing to hook a new generation of users on dangerous substances. We implore the incoming administration to follow the growing body of science and medical data to enact drug policies that prioritize public health and safety over corporate profits. After all, you can’t Make America Healthy Again and support injecting more dangerous drugs into our communities. 

“With so many Americans dying from overdoses and experiencing addiction, it’s time to renew America’s commitment to endingthis drug epidemic. Any federal effort to normalize, legalize or support marijuana or any other drug would empower the addiction industry’s biggest investors, including Big Tobacco and Big Pharma, at the expense of millions of Americans. President Trump’s selection of Pam Bondi, who has long understood the dangers associated with today’s high-potency marijuana and THC-infused drugs, as the nation’s next Attorney General, is a positive indication that the addiction industry’s hopes for a friendly administration will not be realized.

“As last year’s Gallup poll confirmed, Americans are increasingly changing their perceptions about Big Marijuana. Its dangerous drugs have serious health consequences, including IQ loss, depression, suicide, psychosis, and schizophrenia, especially for young people. Our nation must advance policies that promote widening awareness about the harms of today’s industrialized drugs, while making logical criminal justice reforms to help those suffering from addiction. We hope that President Trump learns more about the dangers of marijuana, psychedelics, and other drugs as well as their devastating impacts, and he joins the growing coalition of law enforcement, medical professionals and families who expect government to put health over corporate greed."