When Federal Marijuana Policy Meets Reality

In this episode of Eye on the Issues, we sit down with Jordan Davidson, Government Affairs Director for Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), to unpack major developments in federal marijuana policy — including President Trump’s recent executive action to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III.

Jordan brings a rare combination of policy expertise and lived experience. After entering long-term recovery from cannabis use disorder as a teenager, he went on to work in state and federal politics before joining SAM in 2019. Today, he manages SAM’s federal policy efforts on Capitol Hill and has played a key role in both advancing responsible research policy and stopping sweeping marijuana legalization bills.

In this conversation, we explore:

- Why marijuana rescheduling is being framed as a “research” move — and why that framing is misleading

- How Congress already expanded marijuana research without rescheduling the drug

- The real-world consequences of Schedule III status, including massive tax breaks for the marijuana industry

- The dramatic rise in marijuana potency and what that means for addiction, youth use, and public health

- The growing presence of organized crime — including foreign criminal networks — in state-licensed marijuana operations

- Why states that have not legalized marijuana may still bear the costs through trafficking and enforcement challenges

Jordan also explains why marijuana today bears little resemblance to the low-potency drug of decades past, and how commercialization and profit incentives are driving ever-stronger products aimed at heavy, repeat users.

This interview is a clear-eyed look at the difference between legitimate medical research and policy decisions that primarily benefit large commercial interests — often at the expense of public safety, families, and state sovereignty.