Smart Approaches to Marijuana Exec Attacks ‘Fake’ Cannabis Research on Fox

Smart Approaches to Marijuana was an anti-cannabis group that appeared on Fox News Primetime to discuss what they believed to be false research being promoted by the cannabis industry. SAM, a political group that opposes cannabis legalization and commercialization is pushing for marijuana use penalties.

Laura Ingraham joined SAM Luke Niforatos as Executive Vice President. The Ingraham Angle to discuss how “Big Cannabis” is funding UCLA, Harvard, and MIT studies on the efficacy of cannabis for medical purposes.

“The mainstreaming of pot has come at the same time the drug has increased exponentially in its potency, its THC levels,” warned Ingraham, linking it to “violent behavior.” Ingraham frequently explores the dangers of pot and blamed “pot psychosis” due to widespread legalization for the rise in mass shooting incidents.

Niforatos then delivered a new mixed bag of reefer madness and hysteria: “Big marijuana is terrified right now, because there are now volumes of research telling us that this new super-charged marijuana that the industry is pumping out is causing psychosis, schizophrenia,” Niforatos said. “We’re seeing addiction rates go up. They’re targeting our kids. All typesThere are many car accidents on our roads. So all of this is coming out of the research.”

“So what do they do?” Niforatos said, referring to the cannabis industry. “They go to their big brother tobacco, who—by the way is their biggest investor—and they start pumping out fake, bogus research. I’m telling you right now: One of the people that funded the millions of dollars for UCLA’s research on marijuana—that company was called ‘Nugs.’ It’s not run by Sir. Isaac Newton, right?”

Independent Research

Niforatos refers to an investigative piece of the Los Angeles TimesInvestigating the funding of cannabis research. UCLA researchers received claims regarding the independence of their laboratory research.

Niforatos continued to explain why the cannabis industry should be avoided.

“These are the canna-bros running these companies, and they’re not trying to advance scientific research, they’re paying for publicity and misinformation, which is exactly what Big Tobacco did, they killed millions of Americans to make a buck, and that’s exactly what marijuana wants to do along with their Big Tobacco investors,” he said.

SAM was created in response to legalization efforts underway in Washington and Colorado by Patrick Kennedy (ex-Congressman), who supported recreational and medical cannabis. He also worked with David Frum and Kevin Sabet as White House Drug Policy Advisors.

SAM was criticised for picking out negative statistics from pot studies.

But Who’s Behind SAM?

2016 Vice explored in detail who exactly is bankrolling SAM’s agenda to fight cannabis legalization. They found among the donors a casino owner and former U.S. Ambassador, as well as cops, guards, liquor merchants, and an pharma company selling fentanyl.

Insys Therapeutics made a $500,000 donation that was matched by Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy. Insys Pharmaceuticals sells the sublingual spray fentanyl, which is the most well-known painkiller.

Washington Post article explored how Insys Therapeutics spent half a million trying to keep pot illegal and “just got DEA approval for synthetic marijuana.” Ironically, a federal jury in 2019 found Insys Therapeutics Founder John Kapoor guilty of running a widespread scheme to bribe doctors nationwide to speak about the company’s fentanyl spray, Subsys.

The New York Chapter of Smart Approaches to Marijuana had to reveal its donors in 2019, just before legalization was implemented. The request of the group to disclose its donors by the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics was turned down.

With the support of SAM, it is difficult to ignore medical studies on cannabis.