“Idrasil was ultimately born in a prison cell.”

After nearly two decades pursuing one idea, Steele Clark Smith III is still fighting to answer a controversial question:

Can cannabinoids move from the dispensary counter to the prescription pad?

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Steele, CEO of C3 Pharmaceuticals, for a conversation about pharmaceuticals, cannabinoids, opioids, regulation, government, AI, entrepreneurship, and what it takes to pursue a mission when the road lasts far longer than anyone expected.

Steele's story is anything but conventional.

His interest in the problem was deeply personal. After being prescribed opioids, Steele describes an extremely difficult withdrawal experience that ultimately helped shape his perspective on patients, medicine, and the difference between sympathy and genuine empathy.

Then came another defining chapter.

While incarcerated following a 2007 indictment, Steele remembered a former patient whose insurer had been willing to reimburse his cannabis expenses.

That triggered a bigger question:

What would cannabis have to become for a physician to actually prescribe and dose it like medicine?

Steele says that question ultimately led to Idrasil, which he describes as a standardized cannabinoid tablet designed around pharmaceutical dosing rather than the consumer cannabis model.

In this conversation:

• Why Steele separates pharmaceutical cannabinoids from recreational cannabis
• Why standardized dosing matters to his thesis
• How his personal opioid experience shaped his mission
• Why he says Idrasil was “born in a prison cell”
• What nearly 20 years of persistence taught him
• Why he's exploring a government-first strategy
• His vision for a roughly 100,000-square-foot pharmaceutical operation
• How he thinks about manufacturing, security and hiring at scale
• Where AI can transform pharmaceutical data and regulatory workflows
• Why humans still need final approval in high-stakes AI workflows
• How founders distinguish conviction from stubbornness
• Why Steele believes perseverance has been his greatest advantage

What makes Steele's story fascinating isn't simply the product.

It's the length of the fight.

He has faced legal battles, regulatory uncertainty, capital challenges, changing markets, and years of waiting for the environment around his idea to evolve.

Yet when asked why he hasn't quit, his answer is simple:

“I truly was born for this.”

This is a conversation about what happens when a founder refuses to let go of an idea, even when proving it takes decades.

Steele Clark Smith III is the CEO of C3 Pharmaceuticals and the founder behind Idrasil, a cannabinoid-based tablet he has spent nearly two decades developing and advocating for within a pharmaceutical framework.

Steele's background includes experience across cannabis, pharmaceuticals, legal and regulatory matters, patient advocacy, and entrepreneurship.

Today, his focus is building the infrastructure, team, regulatory pathway, and government relationships he believes are necessary to bring his pharmaceutical vision to scale.

Website: Idrasil.com

Company: C3 Pharmaceuticals

LinkedIn: Steele Clark Smith III

Personal Website: SteeleClarkSmith3.com

Steele also says he can be found on X, Truth Social, and Facebook.