Kevin A. Sabet - Smokescreen: What the Marijuana Industry Doesnt Want You to Know

Smoke Screen

What the Marijuana Industry Doesn't Want You to Know

Kevin A. Sabet, Ph.D.

Foreword by Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy

Smokescreen: What the Marijuana Industry Doesnt Want You to Know

Text Copyright 2021 by Kevin A. Sabet

All rights reserved.

No part of this book shall be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, and photographic, including photocopying, recording or by information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher.

No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors and omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of information contained herein.

Published by Forefront Books.

Cover Design by Bruce Gore, Gore Studio Inc.

Interior Design by Bill Kersey, Kersey Graphics

Jacket art: Shutterstock Images

ISBN: 978-1-948677-87-5

e-Book ISBN: 978-1-948677-88-2

To all those Ive met who are affected by addiction

Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.

G EORGE S ANTAYANA

This book would not exist without the unending support of my wife, Shahrzad. Since almost the moment we met, my work has been elevated by her brilliance, intuition, clear thinking, skillful writing, and commitment to justice. I am especially grateful for her continual reminder that in any work worth doing, means and ends must be consistent. She and our daughter are the bright lights of my life.

Much of Smokescreen was written during the coronavirus pandemic, and thus in the home of my wifes parents, Afsaneh and Saeed Sabet, who not only provided perpetual encouragement, a roof over my head, loving childcare, and some of the best food Ive ever tasted, but also a valuable sounding board for many of these ideas. To have received so much of their help during this book project, during a global health crisis to boot, is a gift I do not deserve and one I cant pay back.

I would not be where I am today without the unflinching support of my parents, Sohie and Zabih Sabet, who always pushed me to do better while supporting my drug work. They, along with my sisters, Homa, Mina, and Shayda; their husbands, Alex, Christopher, and Saba; and my nieces and nephew, provided substantive help for this book, moving me to delve deeper into my own past and to add more color to some of these chapters than would have otherwise been there. Shahrzad, Sohie, Zabih, Homa, Mina, Afsaneh, Saeed, and Shayda read the manuscripteither specific chapters or in its entiretyand provided invaluable feedback. I am also indebted to Shayda for providing my wife and me countless hours of support by helping to care for our new baby during the first few months of the pandemic.

I feel exceedingly (almost embarrassingly) fortunate to do this work with so many extraordinary, talented colleagues. They are far too many to list here. But a few stand out so much that this book would feel incomplete if I didnt name them. Luke, my soul-brother, without whom I would be far less happy and far more cynical. My deepest thanks to your family, especially Eliza, Shiloh, and Eden, for encouraging you to take these leaps with me and for enduring the sacrifices they entail. The whole rest of the team at SAMWill, Beth, Colton, Brendan, Dana, Katie, and Jordanwho in very profound ways inspired every page in this book. The moms and dads Ive met along the way, many of whom have opened their courageous hearts to me, and most of whom I interviewed for this book. The former marijuana regulators and insiders who, with incredible humility, recognized the folly of this industry and with enormous strength, told me about it.

Ill also be forever grateful for my mentors, all of whom I consider family: wise sages Bob DuPont and Mitch Rosenthal; former bosses turned confidants, Gil Kerlikowske and Barry McCaffrey; my three favorite SuesFoster, Rusche, and Thauwho have known me since I was a teenager; the ever kind and generous David Frum and his wife, Danielle Crittenden; and the worlds brightest (and with me, most patient) drug policy analyst, Jon Caulkins; and so many others. The late David Musto and Bruce Johnson gave me a chance early in my career; I wouldnt be here without them. And the three dear colleagues I lost during the conception and writing of this book who were a constant source of knowledge and inspiration: Herb Kleber, ever my encourager; Christopher Kennedy Lawford, who would always find a way to make me laugh; and Mark Kleiman, the drug policy researcher-practitioner I loved to hate (not really), who made it his goal to always teach me something new, even if it made me uncomfortable. Invaluable research assistance from Jacqueline Grace, the SAM staff and board, David, Jon, Steven, Mike, Ian, and Ben Cort (who also happens to be one of the finest people I know), and many others made this book a possibility. I am indebted to my editor, Hope Innelli, who jumped into this with fervor and drove me to make something good into something much better, all the while taking my Sunday afternoon calls with enthusiasm and excitement. Jennifer, Jana, and the Epic powerhouse have been a pleasure to work with. And I will be forever grateful to my publisher, Jonathan Merkh and everyone at Forefront Books for taking a chance on me and this book with little to go on. For carefully reading the manuscript, in part or in whole, I am also grateful to Luke Niforatos, William Jones, Colton Grace, Garth Van Meter, Brendan Fairfield, Katie Gallop, Theodore Caputi, and Jordan Davidson.

Few are so blessed as me to have found a true comrade in arms in the work they do every day, especially work that is so emotionally and mentally draining. For that I will forever be grateful to Patrick Kennedy. He is always willing to jump in headfirst with me, even when it would be much safer to stand and watch from the sidelines. Equal gratitude goes to his wife, Amy, and his five children, for giving him the space to do that. I am honored he agreed to write the foreword to this book.

The U.S. elections in November 2020 were among the most closely watched in history. I was paying attention for many reasons beyond the obvious. Yes, I wanted to see who would be president and how the House and Senate would shape our future; and how my wife, Amy Kennedy, who was running for the 2nd district house seat in New Jersey, would fare. But I was also watching to see the outcome of ballot measures in four statesArizona, Montana, South Dakota, and New Jersey (where I now live). When the results were tallied, all of these jurisdictions legalized marijuana by popular vote, bringing the total count to fifteen states. Currently one in every three Americans lives in a state where the recreational use of marijuana is legal.

When a substance is that ubiquitous, its use naturally rises. In the case of marijuana, use has more than doubled since the first state legalized it. Unlike alcohol and tobacco use, which have been waning among kids, marijuana is going in the wrong direction. And the actual amount of marijuana consumed is off the charts.

The entities who stand to gain tens of billions of dollars from the legal sale of marijuana are masters at using sophisticated techniques to produce, package, brand, market, and upsell consumer goods. The one hurdle most other industries have to surmountbuilding a repeat clienteleis no obstacle for them. The products they have traditionally marketed to the public are naturally habit forming. And todays marijuana, with its increased THC concentration, shares this trait. In other words, no matter how homegrown or even citizen-initiated the marijuana movement looks to you from where you view it, it is anything but that.