Familiar foe claims credit for campaigns to end adult-use marijuana sales in Maine, Massachusetts

OG article by Chris Roberts

December 24, 2025

Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), an anti-legalization organization based in the Washington, D.C., area, has claimed responsibility for funding campaigns to end adult-use marijuana sales in Maine and Massachusetts. SAM founder and president Kevin Sabet announced multi-million-dollar support for these voter initiative efforts, which aim to restrict cannabis to medical sales only, while keeping adult use legal. If successful, the campaigns would eliminate approximately $1.8 billion in combined annual sales, with Massachusetts generating over $1.6 billion and Maine nearing $300 million, based on state data.

In Massachusetts, signature-gathering is underway by the Republican-affiliated Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts, though funders remain undisclosed due to pending campaign finance filings. Allegations of deceptive tactics by campaign workers have surfaced, but such actions are protected under the First Amendment. In Maine, the state attorney general has approved petitions, allowing the campaign to proceed.

Sabet made the announcement via a video on X shortly after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to downgrade cannabis' federal status. SAM, a persistent opponent of reform, has previously spent over $100,000 through its affiliate SAM Action on ads urging Trump to reject rescheduling. Critics highlight that SAM's 501(c)4 status enables donor anonymity under IRS rules. These initiatives mark the first attempts to roll back state-level adult-use legalization, contrasting with past rejections of new legalization efforts in states like Oklahoma and Florida. SAM did not respond to requests for further comment.