Smart Approaches to Marijuana and Affiliate Report $310,000 in Federal Lobbying Through September, Target Rescheduling and Banking Reform
Smart Approaches to Marijuana and its affiliated advocacy organization, SAM Action, have reported a combined $310,000 in federal lobbying activity during the first nine months of 2026, according to disclosures filed with Congress, including two submitted Monday, October 19.
The 2026 total represents a 1.6% increase from the $305,000 reported during the same period in 2025 and an 8.8% increase from the $285,000 reported in 2024. The combined lobbying activity has reached a three-year high for the January-through-September period, with SAM Action’s reported expenses increasing in both years while spending on outside lobbying firms has remained relatively steady.
The filings show the organizations pursuing a broad federal agenda that includes blocking marijuana rescheduling, opposing marijuana banking reform, maintaining federal tax restrictions on marijuana businesses and prohibiting intoxicating hemp products. The combined figure includes $210,000 in lobbying expenses reported by SAM Action and $100,000 in fees reported by two outside lobbying firms representing Smart Approaches to Marijuana.
In its newly filed third-quarter report, SAM Action disclosed $70,000 in lobbying expenses between July 1 and September 30, matching the $70,000 it reported in each of the previous two quarters. The organization specifically identified efforts to block marijuana’s move from Schedule I to Schedule III through federal appropriations legislation, oppose the SAFE Banking Act and support the No Deductions for Marijuana Businesses Act.
That legislation, introduced as S. 471 and H.R. 1447, would prevent marijuana businesses from claiming certain federal tax deductions even if marijuana is rescheduled. Under current federal law, Section 280E prohibits businesses trafficking in Schedule I or II controlled substances from deducting ordinary business expenses. Moving marijuana to Schedule III would eliminate that restriction for marijuana businesses unless Congress changes the law.
The disclosure identifies the U.S. House, U.S. Senate and White House Office as lobbying targets for the tax legislation. SAM Action also reported lobbying to investigate the federal government’s marijuana rescheduling review, restrict hemp-derived intoxicants and pursue changes to federal medical marijuana enforcement protections.
A separate October 19 filing from Off Hill Strategies shows the firm received $20,000 from Smart Approaches to Marijuana during the third quarter. Its lobbying covered marijuana safety, federal enforcement of marijuana laws, legalization and efforts to close what it described as the loophole allowing hemp-derived delta-8 THC products. The firm reported another $40,000 from the organization during the first half of 2026.
A third disclosure, submitted October 15 by Blue Mountain Strategies, reported $10,000 in third-quarter lobbying income from Smart Approaches to Marijuana, following $15,000 in each of the first two quarters. Its lobbying included marijuana banking legislation, the STATES Act, criminal justice reform, federal marijuana policy and concerns about high-potency products. The firm’s listed lobbyist was Luke Albee, a former chief of staff to Senators Patrick Leahy and Mark Warner.
Together, the three lobbying operations reported $100,000 in activity during the third quarter alone, bringing their combined 2026 total to $310,000.
SAM Action’s latest disclosure also identifies support for a federal ban on kratom, an issue not listed in its first- or second-quarter reports. The organization has consistently opposed marijuana legalization and commercialization, with much of its 2026 lobbying agenda continuing positions disclosed in previous quarters.
Smart Approaches to Marijuana was co-founded by former Congressman Patrick Kennedy and Kevin Sabet, who serves as its president and CEO.
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