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.