Check out the agenda for Cannabis Science Conference Spring 2023!
Editor's Note: This agenda was accurate at the time of publication in early April 2023. Speaker names and specific time slots are subject to change.
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Day 1, April 20, 2023
Keynote
9:00 a.m.
Low and Ultra-Low Doses of Cannabinoids: Are We Missing the Sweet Spot?
Speaker: Dr. Dustin Sulak, DO, Healer
Fireside Chat Discussion, Analytical Focus
10:00 a.m.
Integrating Risk Management Strategies and Data Analysis to Reduce Microbial Product Failure Rates
Speaker/Moderator: Patrick Bird, MS, Sr. Manager, Scientific Affairs, bioMerieux
Panelists: Heather Krug, Regulatory Programs Branch Chief, Colorado State Public Health Lab; Antionette Duncan, Sr. Director Quality Assurance, Curaleaf; Chris Hudalla, President and CEO, ProVerde Labs; Steve Jetter, Program Analyst for Cannabis and Psilocybin Policy, Oregon Health Authority’s Oregon Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ORELAP); and Shane Flynn, Senior Director Laboratory Proficiency Testing, AOAC
11:30 a.m.
Analytical Track: Electronic Cannabis Delivery System Aerosol Generation and Collection: Challenges, Best Practices
Speaker: Dr. Mark Crosswhite, Principal Scientist, ConsulticX Sciences Corp.
11:30 a.m.
Medical Track: Chronic Exposure to Cannabis sativa Extracts Reduces Adiposity and Improves Metabolic Dysfunction Associated with Diet-Induced Obesity
Speaker: Bryant Avalos, Graduate Student Researcher, University of California, Riverside
11:30 a.m.
Cultivation Track: Cannabis-Specific Plant Nutrition: Express Your Plant’s Full Potential with a Balanced Diet
Speaker: Christian West, Owner/Consultant, Big Earth Consulting, LLC
11:50 a.m.
Analytical Track: Vaping Chemistry of Semi-Synthetic Cannabinoids
Speaker: Robert Strongin, Professor of Chemistry, Portland State University
12:00 p.m.
Medical Track: Precision Cannabinoid Medicine is Here
Speaker: Len May, MCS, Endocanna Health, Inc.
12:00 p.m.
Cultivation Track: Microbes are Multiplying: Finding the Source and A Solution to Your Cannabis Contamination
Speaker: Carly Bader, Manager of Science, Willow Industries
12:10 p.m.
Analytical Track: Non-Targeted Analysis of Aerosol Delivery Systems – Challenges, Considerations, and Best Practices
Speaker: Dr. Mark Crosswhite, Principal Scientist, ConsulticX Sciences Corp
12:30 p.m. Lunch (available for purchase)
1:30 p.m.
Analytical Track: Think Your Lab Testing Is Unbiased?.....You Might Be Surprised!
Speaker: Amber Wise, PhD, Science Director, Medicine Creek Analytics
1:30 p.m.
Medical Track: Raising Awareness: The Implementation of Medical Cannabis and Psychedelics Used as an Adjunct to Standard Therapy in the Treatment of Advanced Metastatic Breast Cancer
Speaker: Jaime Brambila, Founder, Grace Health and Wellness
1:30 p.m.
Psychedelics Track: Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Cannabis + Psilocybin Co-Consumers
Speaker: Dr. Denise Vidot, University of Miami
1:50 p.m.
Analytical Track: Cannabinoid Extraction Efficiency for Potency Analysis: An in Depth Look of Multiple Techniques
Speaker: Melinda Urich, Scientist, Restek
2:00 p.m.
Medical Track: The Nose Knows: How Cannabis Aroma Is Transforming Medicine and Commerce
Speaker: Adie Rae, PhD, Assistant Scientist, Legacy Research Institute
2:00 p.m.
Psychedelics Track: Quantification of Psilocybin and Psilocin Content Variety in Psilocybe cubensis Strains with LC-MS
Speaker: Sabrina Islam, Undergraduate Student, University of Texas at Arlington
2:10 p.m.
Analytical Track: Hide and Seek: New Standards and Methods to Help Quantify Impurities Found in Cannabidiol Derived Phytocannabinoid Products
Speaker: Dr. Kirk Hering, Senior Manager, Process Exploration, Cayman Chemical Company
2:30 p.m. BREAK- Coffee/Networking in Exhibit Hall
3:00 p.m.
Analytical Track: Expanded Multiresidue Method of 327 Pesticides in Cannabis Inflorescence Reveals High Pesticide Levels in 92% of Illicit Samples Compared to the Canadian Licensed Cannabis Market
Speaker: Dr. David Blais, Laboratory Manager, Health Canada
3:00 p.m.
Cultivation Track: Remote Driver the “Makes Sense” Solution to Lower CapEx and OpEx Costs
Speaker: Frank Cirolia, BSEE, Systems and Applications Engineering, Advance Energy
3:00 p.m.
Medical Track: Results from the First NIH Funded Population-based Study of Medical Marijuana (PANEL DISCUSSION)
Speaker/Moderator: Dr. Joe Thompson, MD, MPH, President and CEO, Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
Panelists: Teresa Hudson, PharmD, PhD, Assistant Dean for Health Services Research;Professor of Psychiatry UAMS College of Medicine; Tony Goudie, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, UAMS College of Public Health
3:20 p.m.
Analytical Track: Exploring the Evolving Landscape of Cannabis Compliance in Michigan: A Four-Year Study
Speaker: Josh Smith, M.S., CSO & Lab Director, ABKO Labs, LLC
3:30 p.m.
Cultivation Track: “In the Future, I Print My Grow Room” A Review of 3D Printed Construction Technology
Speaker: Matthew Tugg, VP, Hero Buds
3:40 p.m.
Analytical Track: Risk Assessment and Toxicological Evaluation Program for Cannabis Terpene Concentrates Intended for Inhalation
Speaker: Willie McKinney, PhD, DABT, President, McKinney Regulatory Science Advisors, LLC
4:00 p.m.
Analytical Track: GC-MS Analysis of Delta-8-THC from Cannabidiol Conversions
Speaker: Richard Sams, PhD, Scientific Director, KCA Labs
4:00 p.m.
Psychedelics Track: Psychedelics in Asia: Taboo or Early Adopter?
Speaker: Dr. Aimon Kopera, Doctor of Medicine, Geneomics Global
4:00 p.m.
Medical Track: Using Cannabinoids to Reduce Daily Opioid Milligram Equivalent (OME) in Palliative Care Patients with Chronic Pain: Case Reviews
Speaker: Eloise Theisen, Chief Nursing Officer, Leaf411
4:20 p.m.
Analytical Track: The Chemistry of Volatile Sulfur Compounds in Cannabis: From Discovery to Applications
Speaker: Iain Oswald, PhD, Principal Research Scientist, Abstrax Tech Inc.
4:30 p.m.
Psychedelics Track: Preparation and Analysis of Psychoactive Alkaloids and Their Metabolites in Multiple Matrices Using HPLC-UV
Speaker: Melinda Urich, Scientist, Restek Corporation
4:40 p.m.
Analytical Track: Examining the Chemical Behavior of Cannabinoids and Terpenes in Cannabis sativa L.
Speaker: Antonio Junior, Cannabis Researcher, University of Maryland E.S.
5:00 p.m.
Poster Sessions and Opening Night Reception
Day 2, April 21, 2023
Keynote
9:00 a.m.
MDMA/Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: The Path to Potential FDA Approval
Speaker: Dr. Sue Sisley, MD, President of Scottsdale Research Institute (SRI) and President/Founder of Field to Healed Foundation
10:00 a.m.
Analytical Track: TBD
Speaker: TBD
10:00 a.m.
Medical Track: Impending Federal Cannabis Regulation: Scientific Lessons from Other FDA Centers
Speaker: J. Preston Campbell, PhD, Venebio Group, LLC
10:00 a.m.
Psychedelics Track: Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy from an Integrative Medical Clinic Perspective (PANEL DISCUSSION)
Panelists: Dr. Alison Draisin PsyD, LMHC, AIMS Institute; Dr. Emily Whinkin, ND, AIMS Institute; Dr. Jade Stefano ND; and Madeline Turner LMHCA, AIMS Institute
10:30 a.m.
Analytical Track: Punch Know Grow: Early Detection of Hop Latent Viroid (HLVd) in Cannabis Plants Impacts Plant Health and Profitability
Speaker: Maria McIntyre, bioMerieux, Inc.
10:30 a.m.
Medical Track: Cannabis in Palliative Care
Speaker: Kathleen Sanders, RPh, Pharmacist, My Therapy Management
11:00 a.m. Break - Coffee/Networking in Exhibit Hall
11:30 a.m.
Analytical Track: New Cannabis and Hemp Proficiency Test Program Provides True Performance Insight
Speaker: Danielle Lenoir, Project Manager, Signature Science
11:30 a.m.
Medical Track: The Potential of Machine Learning Applications to Provide Insights on the Role of Medical Cannabis in Treatment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Using the Cannabis-Responsive™ Biomarker Database
Speaker: Itzhak Kurek, PhD, CEO, Cannformatics, Inc.
11:30 a.m.
Cultivation Track: Hop Latent Viroid Shares a 19 Nucleotide Sequence with Cannabis sativa COG7
Speaker: Kevin McKernan, Medicinal Genomics
12:00 p.m.
Analytical Track: Proficiency Testing: Is It a Joke or Does It Add Value? (PANEL DISCUSSION)
Speaker/Moderator: Julie Kowalski, PhD, Program Chair
Panelists: Susan Audino, PhD, Science Advisor, AOAC International, CASP and Principal, S.Audino & Assoc, LLC; Shane Flynn, Sr. Director, Laboratory Proficiency Testing, AOAC International; and Julia Bramante, CO Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE)
12:00 p.m.
Medical Track: What Happens When You Smoke Cannabis? An Integrative Understanding Rooted in Ayurveda, Dentistry, and Clinical Experience
Speaker: Adhithyan Krishnan, M.A.P., R.A.D., Founder and Chief of Science, AK Aveksha
12:00 p.m.
Cultivation Track: The Danger of the 2018 Farm Bill
Speaker: James Schwartz, BSN, LNC, CEO, CascadeHigh
12:30 p.m. Lunch (available for purchase)
1:30 p.m.
Analytical Track: Quality Assurance and Safety in Cannabis, Psilocybin, and Hemp (PANEL DISCUSSION)
Moderator: Kim Stuck, The Canna Consortium
Panelists: Kelly O’Connor, Sales Director, Key Accounts, Columbia Laboratories; Rocco Iannapollo, Director of Business Development, Cannabis Kitchen Supplies; Chris Gardella, CTO, Thompson Duke; and Jeremy L Sackett, QA Manager, Columbia Laboratories
1:30 p.m.
Medical Track: Medical Cannabis 101: The Use of Cannabinoids in the Outpatient Primary Care Setting
Speaker: Dr. Michael McKenzie, MD, Michael J. McKenzie, MD, PA
1:30 p.m.
Cultivation Track:Endophytic Bacteria and the Rhizophagy Cycle: The Expanded Soil Food Web
Speaker: Jeff Lowenfels, Author: Teaming with Microbes Series, Lord of the Roots
2:00 p.m.
Analytical Track: Standardizing and Data Sharing for the Future of Testing and Quality Control (PANEL DISCUSSION)
Speaker/Moderator: David Vaillencourt, MSc, CEO and Founder, The GMP Collective Panelists: Darwin Millard, Chief Science Officer, 14th Round/Final Bell, Vice-Chair ASTM Intl D37 Cannabis Subcommitee; and Kelly O’Connor, Sales Director, Key Accounts, Columbia Laboratories
2:00 p.m.
Medical Track: Cannabis and Spinal Cord Injury: A Patient’s Perspective
Speaker: Jeremy Robbins, MS, Cannabis Patients PNW
2:00 p.m.
Cultivation Track: Floral Hemp Production in North Dakota
Speaker: Avery Shikanai, Graduate Student, North Dakota State University
2:30 p.m.
Film Screening: Unprescribed
Filmmaker/Presenter: Steve Ellmore, The Unprescribed
3:30 p.m.
Adjourn
Collaboration, Gender Diversity, and Progress: Julie Kowalski on Advancing Cannabis Science
December 10th 2024In this interview with Cannabis Science and Technology, Julie Kowalski, an experienced analytical chemist, discusses her path into the cannabis industry, starting with early work in gas chromatography. Kowalski reflects on her perspectives as a female scientist, highlighting biases she’s experienced and the benefits of gender inclusivity in the cannabis space. Greater unity and professionalism could benefit the industry as a whole, she explains. She also encourages collaboration and more women in leadership positions in order to build a stronger scientific community, and also urges women to advocate for themselves, noting that women in cannabis face unique obstacles but often demonstrate consensus-building strategies and solutions.
Ep 24, Part I: Data Transparency in Cannabis Testing with Yasha Khan
November 21st 2024Evan Friedmann interviews Yasha Khan, co-founder of MCR Labs, about his journey into the cannabis industry and his efforts to promote transparency and integrity in laboratory practices. Yasha discusses the origins of MCR Labs, which began in Massachusetts to meet the needs of the soon-to-be legal medical cannabis market. He explains the challenges faced, including result manipulation by labs and the impact on public health. Yasha's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) project aimed to gather testing data from 37 states, revealed significant discrepancies in potency and mold results. Despite some states' reluctance to share data, Yasha has made much of this data public, leading to collaborative research and publications on various aspects of cannabis testing.
Gender Diversity and Innovation in the Cannabis Space: Insights from Tess Eidem, PhD
December 9th 2024Cannabis Science and Technology sat down with Tess Eidem, PhD, PCQI, member of Saturn Scientific, LLC, to discuss her journey from antibiotic research to cannabis microbiology and her observations throughout her career. Dr. Eidem highlights challenges women face in this male-dominated industry, including limited representation in leadership roles and frequent experiences of bias and discrimination. She emphasizes the importance of gender diversity in fostering innovation, improving product safety, and addressing women’s health needs in cannabis applications. Her advice to women scientists is to build strong professional relationships and carefully evaluate work environments to advance their careers in this evolving and often challenging space.
Ep 23, Part III: Accreditation in the Cannabis Industry with Susan Audino
October 24th 2024In Part III of this episode, host Evan Friedmann is joined by Susan Audino, PhD, founder of S.A. Audino & Associates, LLC, and co-founder of Saturn Scientific, LLC, to examine the complexities of sampling in the cannabis industry, emphasizing the need for proper sampling plans, and methods.