Category Archives: News Articles

SAM Defeats marijuana in nine states

Efforts by Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and SAM’s allies defeated marijuana legalization and commercialization in 9 state legislatures: New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont and Hawaii.  When legislators listen to experts, as well as doctors, they reject marijuana legalization, a failure in every other state.

This year, only the Illinois rejected experts’ opinions and positioned itself as an outlier.  Continue reading SAM Defeats marijuana in nine states

SAM’s Work Brings International Recognition

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) designated Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) special consultative status to the United Nations. It happened on June 26, the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

This status allows SAM to designate official representatives to the UN headquarters in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, and submit written and oral statements to the Council. SAM representatives have already been discussing marijuana policy at UN meetings since its founding in 2013, Continue reading SAM’s Work Brings International Recognition

Four States decline to legalize pot through legislatures this year

Marijuana legalization hit stone walls in New York and New Jersey this week and another effort died in New Hampshire.   In Vermont, legislation to establish a commercial marijuana market faltered, too.  Four states failed.  Tiny windows of opportunity may still be open, but passing bills doesn’t appear possible before the end of this year’s legislative session.

It was the second year New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy tried to implement marijuana legalization through the legislature.  In New Jersey, Continue reading Four States decline to legalize pot through legislatures this year

Attackersmokedcannabis.com asks Residents of UK to sign petition

A new website records murders, suicides and violence connected to cannabis use in Great Britain and Ireland.   Ross Grainger, writer, administers the website, attackersmokedcannabis.com.

‘Cannabis is a common factor in an alarming number of violent crimes, including murder, rape and child abuse, as well as suicide. As calls for the legalisation of cannabis grow ever louder, we demand the government first investigate the possible link between cannabis and violence.’

Grainger asks readers in Great Britain are asked to sign a petition to the British parliament. With more than 12,000 signatures, this petition passed the mark requiring a response.  Government responds to all petitions that get more than 10,000 signatures.  At 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

The website links to a 287-page catalogue of over 150 tragedies which occurred between 1998 to 2018.  For example,   “Beloved mentally ill teenage cannabis smoker found dead in woodland” is one sad story similar to stories in the USA.    Another incident dates back to 2003. Charles King, 23, a student at Central St Martin’s College of Art and Design hung himself from a tree. He left a note saying, “Cannabis has ruined my life.”   (In Arizona, Andy Zorn left a similar message, “My soul is dead. Marijuana killed my soul + ruined my brain.”  His mother wrote some blogs for us, and his story is found on MomsStrong.org.)

Categories

The website divides incidences into following categories:                  Murder, manslaughter and infanticide (53)
Frenzied stabbings and savage assaults (48)
Rape and sexual violence (21)
Suicide and self harm (28)

In addition, there are sections on media bias, the tip of the iceberg and objections anticipated.  After Great Britain downgraded cannabis from a Class B drug to Class C in 2002, mental health problems increased. New cases bipolar and schizophrenia rose to record numbers. Great Britain went back to the earlier classification, after six years.

The catalogue reinforces our claims about murders, child abuse and suicides related to marijuana.  It is a valuable addition to the book a book published in January, Alex Berenson’s Tell Your Children the Truth about marijuana, mental illness and violence.

Follow Grainger on Twitter

Grainger also reports crime news involving psychotic breaks or cannabis withdrawal symptoms on Twitter, at Ross_Grainger.  He recently posted a horror story of cannabis addiction, the  ‘barbaric’  man who threatened to cut unborn child from mother.

He also reported of the hideous rape and murder of six-year-old Alesha MacPhail in Scotland, brought to justice  last week.  Of this crime, Peter Hitchens said:  “As soon as I heard the appalling details of this case, which took place on the peaceful Isle of Bute, I searched for the word ‘cannabis’ in the trial records. And immediately, as usual, I found that the accused was known to be a regular user of this drug.”

Hitchens continued, “It really is time to blast aside the PR spin which claims that marijuana is a ‘soft’, safe drug or even an actual medicine. It is nothing of the kind. Users all too often become mentally ill. And they are all too often found – as in the Alesha MacPhail case – to be the perpetrators of terrible, violent crime.”  (Peter Hitchens frequently writes of the connection between marijuana and crime)