Making Health History

Actions Promoting Healthy, Drug‑Free People and Communities

Preventing Legalization/Commercialization

There is a push to legalize/commercialize more drugs. Good news communities and states are pushing back. Florida voters rejected the legalization of marijuana and Massachusetts voters defeated a ballot measure to commercialize psychedelic drugs. There are local and state bans on the sale of Kratom. There are billionaire dollars trying bring more drugs into our communities. The more we can coordinate across drug sectors, the more effective we will be at protecting community health and safety from the aggressive push to commercialize/legalize more drugs.

We know from the work in tobacco that raising the price can reduce use. However, tax revenue, as well revenue from legal settlements around drug use, are often seen as a revenue stream for programs and services unrelated to drug use. This is a mistake. Taxes on drugs, as well as legal settlements, should be used solely to support moving toward drug free people and communities, including money for comprehensive, effective, and affordable treatment. In addition to treatment, funding should include drug use prevention and funding those impacted by drug use, including law enforcement, schools, employers, healthcare sites, and social services. Since the focus is on ending the sale of harmful drugs this revenue stream should be seen as short term.

Tax on Drugs to Address Drugs

Drug sellers and their supporters are getting bolder and more aggressive. Help us expose the people and tactics that promote or protect drug use and dealers. In addition the drug makers, support for the industry/drug use can come from many places — health groups, government agencies, celebrities, entertainment, sports leagues, law and PR firms, elected officials, media, and more. Whoever is protecting or promoting drug use, we must educate the public and reveal their actions. We should also praise and support those doing the right work. Profit-driven addiction companies can buy silence or compliance, but they lack grassroots support — and that can beat money. Connect with us on social media or by email to report worrying activity or share examples of good work.

Watchdog

California has the first communities to adopt laws ending the sale of all tobacco and nicotine products. Undo.org is the campaign by the California Department of Health imagining a state without the tobacco industry. Imagine more states and communities saying injury, disease, and death are no longer acceptable outcomes for legal drug use. Efforts in Massachusetts and Maine look to become the first to end marijuana legalization. Oklahoma’s governor called on the legislature to support a ballot measure ending the state’s medical marijuana program (stay tuned for education on the industry medicalization strategy). The science and data are clear - the legalization/commercialization of drugs has been a public health and safety disaster. Moving toward drug free people and communities will improve the mental, physical, and financial health of people and communities for generations to come.

Supporting Drug Free People, Communities and Country

Funding of Effective Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery

Preventing drug use before age 21 can help more people lead drug free lives. Prevention, like treatment, needs to be ongoing. One of the reasons to prevent and end the commercialization of drugs is the suffering caused by addiction and the complexity, cost of drug treatment. Often it takes multiple attempts and persons may be using more than one drug. We need to support the funding of effective treatment and evaluate the efficacy of treatment options. We need to ensure teens and adults can have access to affordable, accessible, and effective treatment. This work includes making sure states and the federal government are spending revenue from legal settlements with drug makers and/or taxes on drugs on addressing those impacted by drug use.

Ending the harm from drug use is one way to improve community health. Policies that boost mental, physical, and financial well-being are essential. Making healthy living affordable and available helps everyone.

Imagine states and communities where healthcare, education, healthy food, and housing are within reach. Safe neighborhoods and infrastructure that support walking, biking, parks, and rec centers improve physical and mental health. We must stop predatory business practices that hurt people financially. Everyone should expect clean air and water.

Stronger physical, financial, and mental health helps employers, families, the military, schools, law enforcement, and healthcare. Let’s build the healthiest workforce ever.

Policies Improving The People’s Health

Action Around the Country

  • Hemp Products Ban by Congress

    A story on the federal legislation to ban intoxicating hemp products. Marijuana industry wanted us to believe hemp was about making clothes, rope, and certainly not about getting people high. Not surprising intoxicating hemp products began to appear - not what we were told. Congress took action. As you can see from this link - media mostly covered how marijuana sellers would be impacted vs. the health impact.

  • Ohio Board of Pharmacy Emergency 180 Day Ban On Kratom (including 7-OH)

    A December 2025 story on emergency action by the Ohio Board of Pharmacy calling for 180 day ban on sale, possession, and distribution of Kratom, including 7-OH. The Governor of Ohio has wanted Kratom made illegal. If these drugs are new to you - know there is an ongoing threat of porducts being sold in local stores designed to get people high. The MHHP is about preventing and ending the sale of these new psychoactove drugs

  • Florida Voters Reject Marijuana Legalization

    November 2024 news story the failure of a ballot measure in Florida to legalize marijuana. The marijuana industry spent over $150 million with more than $140 million coming from Trulieve - Florida’s largest “medical” marijuana biz. A reminder that “medical” marijuana is nothing more than trying to open the door for legalization. Would be great to have media actually ask Trulieve for their medical protocols (which marijuana for which condition, dosage, duration, contraindications, etc.) - they don’t exist.

  • Massachusetts Voters Reject Legalizing Psychedelic Drugs

    A November 2024 story on Massachusetts voters thankfully rejecting the legalization of psychedelic drugs and not following the path of Oregon and Colorado voters. The psychedelic drug advocates trying to use the same playbook as the marijuana industry (which was a revised tobacco industry playbook). In the 1950’s we saw ads for doctors recommending Camel cigarettes. Fast forward, marijuana industry does medicine by ballot passing “medical” marijuana laws claiming marijuana to treat issues like PTSD. Surprise, psychedelic advocates say we need their drug to help with…yes - PTSD.

  • Bay Area Town Enacts Total and Complete Tobacco Ban

    November 2025 story on the community of Tiburon becoming the second community in California to completely ban the sale of tobacco and nicotine products. The state program addressing tobacco use has adopted ending the sale of tobacco and nicotine products as their ultimate goal. Finally, a policy that treats tobacco products/use as the health emergency that it is.

  • Survey Supports Sales Ban on All Tobacco Products

    Despite no national campaign or discussion around the topic, a 2021 survey of adults found 57% favored prohibiting the sale of all tobacco products. The survey also found more support for ending the sale of menthol flavored tobacco products - a policy blocked by the Obama, Biden, and Trump administration. The evidence for removing tobacco products is overwhelming. In addition to the polling date, hundreds of thousands will die each year, and most smokers want to quit. Greater action and urgency is long overdue and is a focus of the MHHP.

  • Colorado Electeds Propose Alcohol Fee To Fund Treatment

    The good news is Colorado elected officials are proposing a fee on beer, wine, and liquor alcohol that would fund treatment. They tried last year but opposition came from Colorado Governor Polis and alcohol industry. Governor Polis has been a great protector of the tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana industry. His opposition is that it may reduce use despite, as the article states ”…As of 2024, Colorado had some of the highest per-capita alcohol consumption in the U.S., and the 7th highest rate of alcohol-induced deaths…” The drug selling companies and their friends want to enjoy the profits and everyone else is expected to pick up the costs.

  • Lawsuit to Stop CMS THC Distribution

    On March 30, 2026 SAM (smart approaches to marijuana) filed a lawsuit to stop CMS circumventing normal procedures to help the marijuana industry. On March 20, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) created a program to distribute hemp-derived products containing the Schedule I substance delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”) to Medicare beneficiaries. CMS published no Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the BEI, solicited no public comments, offered no reasonable explanation for its action, bypassed the Federal Register. Congrats to SAM for standing up to a government agency working for the health of drug sellers, not the people. Sadly, not unusual to have government agencies (through democrat and republican administrations) prioritizing drug sellers over public health. Government plays a critical role in health and safety and need to be held accountable when they failto live up to that obligation.Description goes here