Heather Bacchus and Eric Burton join Kevin Sabet for Episode 2 of High Stakes with Kevin Sabet, the official podcast of Smart Approaches to Marijuana and the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS).

Dr. Kevin Sabet sits down with author and advocate Heather Bacchus alongside THC, INC filmmaker Eric Burton to discuss the growing public health concerns surrounding today’s high-potency THC products and the cultural normalization of marijuana. In the full episode, Kevin, Heather, and Eric explore the rise of “Big Marijuana,” the science behind high-potency THC and adolescent brain development, the growing disconnect between public perception and emerging evidence, and why families, educators, and policymakers are increasingly sounding the alarm about the risks facing young people today.

MORE ABOUT HEATHER: Heather Bacchus is an author, speaker, and passionate advocate for youth mental health and substance use prevention. Drawing from her journey through loss, resilience, and hope, Heather authored A Higher Love: A Journey Through Addiction, Cannabis-Induced Psychosis, Suicide, and Redemption to highlight the hidden dangers of high-potency cannabis and the devastating impact it can have on youth and their families.​ Heather’s mission is deeply personal. In 2021, she and her family experienced an unimaginable tragedy when her 21-year-old son succumbed to cannabis-induced psychosis and completed suicide. Determined to turn her pain into purpose, Heather raises awareness and educates others about the risks associated with today's highly potent cannabis products.As a professional speaker, Heather shares her heartfelt story backed by scientific evidence and offers actionable strategies for youth prevention. She co-leads Be Extraordinary, Be You with her husband, Randy, inspiring young people to make informed choices about drug use while encouraging them to be extraordinary, embrace their authentic selves, and live chemical-free lives.

MORE ABOUT ERIC: Eric Burton is an award-winning filmmaker and editor whose work spans documentary, scripted, and unscripted formats. His portfolio includes projects for Fifth Season, 35 Ventures, Travel Channel, Discovery, and History Channel, with a consistent focus on stories rooted in social justice and human resilience. His credits include Kiss the Future—produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and winner of three audience awards—as well as THC, INC, a Wayfarer Studios documentary exploring the dangers of high-potency THC on adolescent brains, and My Friend Sam, executive produced by Judd Apatow, which follows Regina Spektor’s cross-generational friendship with a renowned violinist and Romanian Holocaust survivor.

Subscribe now and stay tuned for future podcast episodes of HIGH STAKES with KEVIN SABET!

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmartApproachestoMarijuanaSAM

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High Stakes with Kevin Sabet is a production of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS). The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of SAM or its affiliates. This podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes.

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German Lopez, Editorial Board Writer at The New York Times, joins Kevin Sabet for the inaugural episode of High Stakes with Kevin Sabet, the official podcast of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS).

Dr. Kevin Sabet and journalist German Lopez discuss the editorial board’s recent "It’s Time for America to Admit That It Has a Marijuana Problem," and the published audio discussion, “Marijuana Is Everywhere. That’s a Problem.” Alongside Emily Bazelon and David Leonhardt, Lopez examined how widespread legalization and commercialization have created new public health challenges that many policymakers and advocates did not anticipate.

In the full episode, Kevin and German discuss what the evidence now shows about marijuana’s growing presence in American life, the unintended consequences of legalization, and why the conversation around regulation, public health, and prevention is evolving.

MORE ABOUT GERMAN LOPEZ: German Lopez is a writer for the editorial board of The New York Times, where he covers a wide range of issues including politics, economics, crime, and public health. He joined the paper in 2021, initially writing for The Morning, and has since reported on subjects ranging from America’s opioid crisis to the war in Ukraine. Before joining The Times, Lopez worked at Vox Media and CityBeat, a local newspaper in Cincinnati, where he covered politics and policy. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, he moved to the United States with his family at age six.

Subscribe now and stay tuned for future podcast episodes of HIGH STAKES with KEVIN SABET!

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmartApproachestoMarijuanaSAM

Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM): https://learnaboutsam.org/

Follow SAM on X: https://x.com/learnaboutsam

Follow Kevin on X: https://x.com/KevinSabet

Learn more about Kevin Sabet: https://kevinsabet.com/

High Stakes with Kevin Sabet is a production of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS). The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of SAM or its affiliates. This podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes.

MORE ABOUT SAM: Smart Approaches to Marijuana envisions a society where marijuana policies are aligned with the scientific understanding of marijuana’s harms, and the commercialization and normalization of marijuana are no more. SAM is an alliance of organizations and individuals dedicated to a health-first approach to marijuana policy. We are professionals working in mental health and public health. We are bipartisan. We are medical doctors, lawmakers, treatment providers, preventionists, teachers, law enforcement officers and others who seek a middle road between incarceration and legalization. Our commonsense, third-way approach to marijuana policy is based on reputable science and sound principles of public health and safety.

MORE ABOUT KEVIN: Dubbed by NBC News as the “prodigy of drug politics,” Kevin A. Sabet, Ph.D., is an author, advisor to three U.S. presidential administrations, and one of the nation’s leading voices on drug policy. For more than 20 years, he has studied, researched, written about, and helped shape drug policy in the United States and abroad. He is the President and CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), the nonprofit he co-founded with Congressman Patrick Kennedy and David Frum, and serves as Director of the Drug Policy Institute at the University of Florida.

Dr. Sabet began his government service in the Clinton Administration, later serving in the Bush Administration and returning as a senior advisor in the Obama Administration, where he helped draft the National Drug Control Strategy. He is the author of Reefer Sanity: Seven Great Myths About Marijuana, co-editor of Marijuana and Contemporary Health (Oxford University Press), and a frequent advisor to governments, NGOs, and international organizations, including the United Nations.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to High Stakes with Kevin Sabet, the official podcast of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS).

In this short teaser, Dr. Kevin Sabet previews the first full episode of the show, featuring a conversation with New York Times journalist German Lopez about the editorial board’s recent discussion, “Marijuana Is Everywhere. That’s a Problem.” Alongside Emily Bazelon and David Leonhardt, Lopez examines how widespread legalization and commercialization have created new public health challenges that many policymakers and advocates did not anticipate.

In the upcoming full episode, Kevin and German discuss what the evidence now shows about marijuana’s growing presence in American life, the unintended consequences of legalization, and why the conversation around regulation, public health, and prevention is evolving.

Subscribe now and stay tuned for the full interview.

Learn More

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmartApproachestoMarijuanaSAM

Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM): https://learnaboutsam.org/

Follow SAM on X: https://x.com/learnaboutsam

Follow Kevin on X: https://x.com/KevinSabet

Learn more about Kevin Sabet: https://kevinsabet.com/

Disclaimer

High Stakes with Kevin Sabet is a production of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS). The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of SAM or its affiliates. This podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.