2026-06-16
Everyone hears "synthetic" and thinks fake. James Winokur, CEO of CitraChem, explains why 99.9% of FDA-approved drugs are synthetic, and why a plant-inspired molecule has a 45% shot at approval while a fully novel one sits at 10%. We get into what Schedule III actually changes for operators, why lab-made doesn't mean fake, the FDA botanical route almost nobody clears, and where hemp beverages, the November repeal, and Big Pharma all collide. James spent 12 years in cannabis as the former CEO of Berkshire Roots and a product leader at Mary Med. Now he's building a life sciences platform that synthesizes botanically identical cannabinoids for pharmaceutical research. Host: Jason Reposa Guest: James Winokur, CEO of CitraChem CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold Open 01:35 Synthetic Doesn't Mean Fake 07:54 Schedule III and What CitraChem Does 13:37 The FDA Math: 45% vs 10% 15:23 Why Lab-Made Doesn't Mean Fake 18:31 What You're Actually Inhaling 21:05 The R&D Platform Play 23:34 Building the Molecule Library 30:00 Hemp Beverages and the November Repeal 36:48 Microdosing and the Education Gap 39:55 The Repeal Fight and Race to the Bottom New episodes drop Tuesdays at 10 AM ET.