We invited clinicians and health professionals to an exclusive meet and greet with our 2018 conference speakers on Saturday, March 3 from 6 pm – 8 pm at Southwest Capital Bank. Guests mixed and mingled with conference presenters to get their high-level medical cannabis questions answered by professionals.
Lead Cannabis Educator at Verdes Foundation
But HOW Does it Work? Cannabis & Our Endocannabinoid System
We know about other systems in the body, circulatory, nervous, pulmonary, etc., but why don’t we know about the endocannabinoid system (ECS). We each have this system, and it is a key component that allows us to feel the therapeutic benefits of cannabis. Kelly will share research about this ancient system and how it effects every function in the human body including brain receptors, cannabinoids that we make in our bodies, basic functions of the endocannabinoid system, how cannabis interacts with this system and how we can care and feed it to keep us balanced.
About: As the Lead Cannabis Educator at Verdes Foundation, Kelly Butterman conducts outreach to our communities teaching about medical cannabis while working closely with Verdes’ nurses on continual education for our staff. She started her career at Verdes as a Customer Service Representative at the Rio Rancho location after raising a family. She became a ‘citizen researcher’ when she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2005, and her keen interest in research led her to medical cannabis. She is currently completing courses at The Medical Cannabis Institute as well as studying under Dr. Dustin Sulak.
Co-Founder & CEO American Cannabinoid Clinics
Nipping Pain With the Bud? A Review of the Research and Clinical Application of Cannabis for Pain Management
Cannabis has become an increasing popular remedy, particularly for pain, and particularly amidst the country’s opioid epidemic. But what does the research have to say about it and how does cannabis therapy actually measure up in the clinical setting? We’ll review the current body of research on cannabis for pain relief and explore the clinical management of pain with cannabis.
About: Dr. Jessica Knox is a board-certified preventive medicine physician with 4 years of clinical experience in cannabinoid medicine. Dr. Jessica is co-founder and CEO of the American Cannabinoid Clinics, which aims to deliver precision Cannabinoid Medicine to patients; and co-founder of ADVENT Academy, which develops comprehensive training for healthcare professionals in the ECS, endocannabinology, and cannabinology.
Owner of Monique & Associates
Winning in an Emerging Industry
Leading with purpose and knowing what you have to offer is key to finding success in both marketing and management. Answering the question: Who are you? has the
power to drive critical metrics around sales and retention. Creating a strong positioning statement by determining your target, frame of reference, and point of differentiation will help you connect with consumers in a deeper and more meaningful way while inspiring employees to do their best work. Reinforcing core values in the workplace will help to create a culture of belonging and feeling of purpose, thereby instilling within staff members a sense that they are an important part of a bigger plan. So, ask yourself three simple questions: Who do you serve? What do they need? And how can you provide that better than anyone else?
About: Monique Jacobson is a leader, innovator, brand expert, and entrepreneur. Beginning her career at Pepsi Co., Jacobson led innovation for Gatorade, overseeing the $500 million launch of Gatorade G2. By the time she left, Monique had risen to General Manager of the $1.8 billion Quaker Breakfast portfolio. In her home state of New Mexico, Monique was appointed as Secretary of Tourism where she spearheaded the launch of the iconic New Mexico True brand. Currently, she is the Owner and Founder of the nonprofit BTC Squared whose mission is breaking the cycles of abuse and trauma, as well as Monique & Associates, a leadership and consulting company.
Associate Professor In Residence, University of California San Diego
Preclinical Evidence of Efficacy of CBD in Addiction Models
Dr. George will present recent results demonstrating the preclinical efficacy of CBD for the treatment of substance use disorders using state-of-the-art animal models of
addiction and compare these findings to current FDA-approved treatment for alcoholism and tobacco use disorders.
About: Dr. George is an Associate Professor at UCSD, School of Medicine in the department of Psychiatry. He serves as the Director of the Animal Core of the Scripps Research Alcohol Research Center, and Director of the Addiction Biobanks. His studies span multiple levels of approaches from molecular to integrated systems using state-of-the-art animal models of addiction. Using these approaches, he has contributed to the development of several Investigational New Drugs and hold several patents. He has given over 115 talks to audiences of all levels and published over 75 articles. His work is supported by the NIH, TRDRP and private companies.
CEO of Green Heffa Farms, Inc.
Hemp Farming The Socially Conscious & Profitable Way
While there has been much discussion on gender equity in cannabis, the disparities still exist. This is especially true for women of color. Some demand entry into white
male dominated rooms for a seat at existing tables while some of us are building our own. This presentation will focus on the latter.
About: Clarenda “Farmer Cee” Stanley is a fifth generation farmer. She did not set out in life to follow on her family’s agrarian path. But in 2017, she found herself returning to her roots as the CEO of Green Heffa Farms (GHF), a medicinal plant and hemp farm in Liberty, NC that she runs with her two adult daughters. As one of the first black women to be licensed in North Carolina, in 2019, she was selected as the first black Featured Farmer for Hemp History Week, the nation’s largest grassroots campaign for the federal legalization of industrial hemp. She has been featured in more than 200 national and international publications, and is a well- sought after speaker. An award winning fundraising and marketing professional who has raised more than $70M for social causes, Stanley is currently a senior principal gifts officer at The Nature Conservancy’s World Office. She is the first black American to hold this title at the world’s largest environmental organization.
Director of Cannabis Equity at Sozo Companies
Social Equity and Reparative Justice: People Over Profits
Cannabis and hemp legalization has yet to benefit the individuals and communities most damaged by the war on drugs as well funded, white owned operators (some of which who supported prohibition and the criminalization of POC) are trading on the stock market and expanding internationally. In a state like NM that continues to struggle from the criminalization of low-income POC, cannabis and hemp legalization must directly and immediately address how these industries must operate to ensure that New Mexicans are the first to benefit.
About: Rosalie Flores is a native New Mexican who has been working in the Colorado cannabis sector for over three years. She is engaged in multiple efforts nationwide
that address a broad range of topics from social equity to record clemency to ensure those most harmed by prohibition are the first to benefit from legalization. As the
Director of Cannabis Equity for Sozo Companies and a board member of National Expungement week, Rosalie works to ensure equity, justice and repair are the pillars of the cannabis and hemp industries while helping train, organize and empower individuals affected by the drug war.
City Councilor District 6 and Chairperson of the Cannabis Legalization Working Group
New Mexico Legislative Cannabis Update
House Bill 160, the Cannabis Regulation Act, sponsored by Representative Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque) and Representative Antonio “Moe” Maestas (D-Albuquerque) to legalize and regulate the sale of cannabis products in New Mexico was introduced on the House floor in January 2020. If passed, the bill will grant the commercial sale of cannabis beginning in 2022. Pat Davis will give conference attendees an update on House Bill 160, the Cannabis Regulation Act answering questions from guest regarding the decision of the bill.
Evan Herrmann is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurobiology (in Psychiatry) at Columbia University Medical Center and a Research Scientist II at New York State Psychiatric Institute. Evan completed his graduate training in Experimental Psychology at the University of Vermont (2007-2013) as a research fellow in the Human Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory. Evan then completed postdoctoral fellowships at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (2013-15), and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (2015-2016), before joining the Division on Substance Use Disorders as a faculty member in July 2016.
Evan’s research is focused on the effects of commonly used psychoactive drugs on human behavior, most notably the behavioral pharmacology of cannabis and other cannabinoids. Recent topics of inquiry include laboratory studies examining the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of passive cannabis smoke exposure and oral cannabis (brownies) consumption, as well as new projects examining the therapeutic potential of cannabis/cannabinoids as treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and chronic pain.
In addition to this research activity, Evan teaches courses on Substance Use Disorders and Research Design and Analysis, and mentors undergraduate studies via supervision of research thesis projects.
Donald I. Abrams, MD. is chief of the Hematology-Oncology Division at San Francisco General Hospital and a Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of California San Francisco. He has an Integrative Oncology consultation practice at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. He received an A.B. in Molecular Biology from Brown University in 1972 and graduated from the Stanford University School of Medicine in 1977.
After completing an Internal Medicine residency at the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in San Francisco, he became a fellow in Hematology/Oncology at the Cancer Research Institute of the University of California, San Francisco in 1980. He was one the original clinician/investigators to recognize and define many early AIDS-related conditions. He has long been interested in clinical trials of complementary and alternative medicine interventions for HIV/AIDS and cancer, including evaluations of medicinal marijuana.
In 1997 he received funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to conduct clinical trials of the short-term safety of cannabinoids in HIV infection. Subsequently he was granted funds by the University of California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research to continue studies of the effectiveness of cannabis in a number of clinical conditions. He completed a placebo-controlled study of smoked cannabis in patients with painful HIV-related peripheral neuropathy as well as a study evaluating vaporization as a smokeless delivery system for medicinal.
His last NIDA-funded trial investigated the possible pharmacokinetic interaction between vaporized cannabis and opioid analgesics in patients with chronic pain. He is now conducting an NIH-funded trial investigating vaporized cannabis in patients with Sickle Cell disease. He co-authored the chapter on “Cannabinoids and Cancer” in the Oxford University Press Integrative Oncology text that he co-edited with Andrew Weil. He co-edits the NCI PDQ CAM Cannabinoids and Cancer website. He was a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s committee that published The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research in January 2017.
Founder, Aunt Zelda’s, Calla Spring Wellness, and Zelda Therapeutics. Mara specializes in the development of treatment protocols utilizing Bio Pharmaceutical grade cannabis extracts for seriously ill patients in California. She co-founded of Aunt Zelda’s, Calla Spring Wellness, and Zelda Therapeutics in order to provide real outcomes for patients with serious diseases.
Prior to Aunt Zelda’s, Mara worked as a process engineer, helping Fortune 500 companies create intelligent software by utilizing the Rational Unified Process. This experience has enabled her to take a detailed and scientific approach to utilizing cannabis as a Bio Pharmaceutical grade treatment.
Gordon sits on the boards of Zelda Therapeutics, Daya Foundation, International Cannabis Standards Board (ICSB), and Hmbldt. She has presented at multiple CME-accredited medical conferences, including Patients Out of Time 2014, and at POT 2016, delivered a 3.5 hour course along with Drs Cristina Sanchez, Manuel Guzman, and Joe D. Goldstrich. Gordon has spoken at medical cannabis conferences in Australia, Costa Rica, Chile, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Israel, as well as numerous events throughout the USA and worldwide. These include CannMed held at Harvard Medical School in April 2016, and Medical Marijuana for Professionals 2014 and 2016. Her work is featured in the upcoming documentaries, “Weed the People”, “Mary Janes: Women of Weed”, and in Joe Dolce’s book, “Brave New Weed”.
