Kevin A. Sabet, Ph.D., president and CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), says people were sold a bill of goods about marijuana.
"It's one of the biggest lies perpetrated on the American people that legalizing marijuana was going to help American society, was going to help American families," he asserts. "It's done nothing but hurt American families."
As is organization has previously told American Family News, states like New York have seen an increase of clients with marijuana-related abuse.
Advocates claim marijuana legalization is not linked with increased crime rates, but Sabet says crime has gone up in states that have legalized marijuana, especially in neighborhoods that have dispensaries.
"There's a lot of studies showing crime related to these pot shops in these neighborhoods," he notes. " We've also seen how we're not getting all this revenue. It's a fraction of the total budget. And anyway, that revenue is not even going to things that we need. It's actually going to pet projects."
SAM maintains that even as marijuana markets grow, tax revenue tends to taper off. The organization points out that states with mature markets, like Colorado, still face significant budget deficits despite legal cannabis sales.
Meanwhile, the underground drug market has not gone away. In fact, it "has been thriving" under legalization.
"It's a real huge issue," Sabet asserts. "There's been this huge lobby funded by George Soros, funded by other people that have been trying to tell everyone how great it would be, but it has not helped America at all."
Marijuana remains illegal under federal law and is the most commonly used illicit drug in the U.S. As of January 2024, it has been "legalized" and/or "decriminalized" at the state level for recreational use in 24 states and the District of Columbia and for "medical" use in 39 states and D.C.
Only a handful of states consider it "illegal."
