Madeline Colli

Articles by Madeline Colli

Medical cannabis is gaining popularity as a treatment alternative for a variety of health issues. The stigma attached to cannabis is still present, but as more research is done, people can see the positives associated with the medicinal plant. Here, Joseph Mazza Jr., Founder and CEO of Compassionate Clinics of America (CCOA), discusses the organization's role in patient affairs, cannabis education, and advocacy work for the industry.

Medical cannabis patients and adult-use consumers alike are faced with an overwhelming amount of options when they first enter a dispensary. Across the industry, producers are looking for ways to simplify things for consumers. One company, Volunteer Botanicals, recently partnered with an investment group to create cannabidiol (CBD)-based tablets that also combine other cannabinoids and have the potential to create a unique consumer experience. In this interview, Jason Pickle, co-founder and chief sales officer for Volunteer Botanicals, sits down to discuss this recent product, the need for standardization throughout the cannabis industry, and more.

When a patient is faced with a tough diagnosis, they often turn to their medical providers for the best treatment options. The troubling fact facing our healthcare professional is that they are not taught about the potential benefits of medicinal cannabis. This knowledge gap leaves a lot to be discovered by patients themselves who are seeking alternative treatments. After experiencing this firsthand with a family member, Katherine Golden, founder and CEO of Leaf411, decided to take action and help educate a community that was so in need of reliable and trustworthy information. Here, Golden shares her background, goals for Leaf411, and more.

September 14—Baltimore, Maryland—Dr. Denise Vidot, University of Miami, will give a keynote talk tomorrow in the medical cannabis meeting room 314–315 at 10:50 a.m. The talk is titled “Cannabinoids and the Brain-Heart-Gut Axis: Informing Science from an Epidemiological Lens.”

September 14—Baltimore, Maryland— Scheril Murray Powell, Esq., SMP LAW/Creative Services, will give a keynote talk tomorrow in the hemp room 308 at 2:40 p.m. The talk is titled “Navigating the Evolving Needs of a Global Cannabis Company as In House Counsel.”

September 13—Baltimore, Maryland— Dr. Dustin Sulak, co-founder of Healer, will give a keynote talk tomorrow in the medical cannabis meeting room 314–315 at 10:00 a.m. The talk is titled “Cannabis in Integrative Medicine, Health Promotion, and Disease Prevention.”

The COVID-19 pandemic affected all types of businesses, such as those found in the cannabis industry. Though it was hit hard from the virus, the cannabis industry suffered another blow in the form of the December 2020 COVID-19 stimulus package, which included a provision classifying all vape products as cigarettes, subjecting them to the same regulations as cigarettes. Here, U.S. Navy veteran Dana E. Shoched, president and chief executive officer of O2VAPE, discusses the impacts this legislation may have on the cannabis vaping industry.

Cannabis’s biggest antagonist is the stigma that surrounds it. Whole plant medicine has the potential to significantly benefit the pharmaceutical industry by complementing their efforts to bring patients relief from their ailments. Systems dynamics consultant/researcher, Ruth Fisher, PhD, explains how cannabis has the option to flourish but needs to stop having its efforts for growth and research hampered by opinions.

At a young age, Jari Sugano’s daughter, MJ, was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome. Standard pharmaceuticals didn’t help in alleviating her daughter's seizures. Here, Sugano talks about how medical cannabis has helped MJ and the importance of the caregiver role.

A recent article published by FiveThirtyEight (1) was highlighted on major news networks across the US, bringing attention to a very important issue facing the cannabis industry: how much tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is actually in products. Here, we highlight some of the findings from the FiveThirtyEight report and what it means for the cannabis industry.