ALBANY — A national group that lobbied against legislative efforts to legalize adult use of marijuana is seeking to keep its funding sources confidential.

The state Joint Commission on Public Ethics is scheduled to hear a disclosure exemption request Tuesday from the New York chapter of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), which contends its donors could be harassed and their livelihoods adversely affected if they are publicly identified.

The group spent more than $84,000 on lobbying during the recent legislative session, according to financial disclosures with the state.

"Thrusting our donors into the public spotlight will have an immediate and substantial chilling effect on those that support our purpose," SAM's chief of staff, Luke Dean Niforatos, wrote in a request seeking an exemption from the state's ethics' oversight agency.

The group is already exempt from disclosing its donors to federal regulators due to its status as a social welfare organization.

In New York, social welfare organizations that engage in lobbying are required to disclose their sources of funding unless they can prove there is a "substantial likelihood" of harm or reprisals for publicly revealed donors. The requirement is to ensure the public is informed about efforts to influence governmental decisions, according to JCOPE.

State law has a blanket disclosure exemption for charitable organizations engaged in lobbying, including the pro-legalization Drug Policy Alliance, which spent more than $89,000 pushing its agenda in Albany.

SAM maintains in its exemption request that it doesn't receive funding from "faceless deep-pocketed corporate interests" in the "alcohol, tobacco, opioid, or the prison industries," and notes that it doesn't have a regulatory interest in marijuana legalization.

"SAM Action's primary source of funding is from individuals and families, many of whom have seen the negative consequences of marijuana first-hand, as well as other supporters who have given to promote responsible public policy with the expectation of privacy under the federal tax code associated with our (social welfare organization) status," the request states.

JCOPE has denied disclosure exemption requests in the past from the New York Civil Liberties Union, New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and Family Planning Advocates of New York, only to have their decisions overturned by a judicial hearing officer, who described the rulings as "clearly erroneous."

SAM says its organization is the subject of harassment in the media and claims its staff receives harassing communications. "These donors should not bear the same burden," the exemption request says.

Because of the group's reach outside of New York and intermingling of donations, SAM also notes that disclosing its funding would compromise the privacy of all its donors, even if their support was used outside the state.

"We continue to work with JCOPE to receive additional guidance and arrive at an accommodation that protects our donors' right to privacy and provides an accurate representation of our efforts to keep drugs off our streets," SAM co-founder Dr. Kevin Sabet said in a statement.

David.Lombardo@timesunion.com - 518.454.5427 - @poozer87