Agenda
Day 1: Thursday, October 16, 2025
8:00-8:10 Welcome from Igor Grant, MD, CMCR Director
Welcome and Award Presentation - LINK to Video
2025 CMCR Symposium Award
8:10-9:00 Mahmoud A. ElSohly, PhD - Keynote address "My journey with cannabis and tenure at Ole Miss" - LINK to Video
CMCR Pioneer in Medicinal Cannabis Research Award and
CMCR Award for Advancing Cannabis and Cannabinoids as Therapeutics
These awards honor a leader in cannabis and cannabinoid research conducting groundbreaking basic and translational research of cannabinoids, other constituents of cannabis, and the endocannabinoid system and whose work has led to significant advances in our knowledge of or an expansion to the therapeutic use of cannabis and cannabinoid-based medicines.
2024 Award Recipients: Alexandros Makriyannis, PhD and Mark Ware, MD
2023 Award Recipients: Marilyn Huestis, PhD and Margaret (Meg) Haney, PhD
2022 Award Recipients: Daniele Piomelli, PhD and Donald Abrams, MD
2019 Award Recipient: Geoffrey Guy, MBBS
10:00-10:05 Five-minute break
CMCR Special Lectures
10:05-10:25 Guido Frank, MD - Cannabidiol in regulating eating disorder symptoms in anorexia nervosa: Safety, pharmacokinetics, and symptom change - LINK to Video
10:25-10:30 Q&A moderated by David Grelotti, MD
10:30-10:50 Rudy Ortiz, PhD - Effects of chronic CBD treatment during metabolic syndrome - LINK to Video
10:50-10:55 Q&A moderated by David Grelotti, MD
10:55-11:00 Five-minute break
Cannabis, cannabinoids, and psychosis
11:00-11:15 F. Markus Leweke, MD - Effects of cannabinoids and antipsychotics on the lipidome in healthy volunteers - LINK to Video
11:15-11:30 Deepak D'Souza, MBBS, MD - The complex relationship between cannabis, cannabinoids, and psychosis - LINK to Video
11:30-11:45 Sagnik Bhattacharyya, MD, PhD - Neuroimaging studies of cannabinoid exposure and psychosis - LINK to Video
11:45-11:55 Moderated panel discussion with the speakers and Q&A; Moderator: Kristin Cadenhead, PhD - LINK to Video
11:55-12:00 Introduction to the poster session - Igor Grant, MD and David Grelotti, MD
Poster Session
12:00-1:00
A separate Zoom link for the poster session which will be provided during the Symposium and posted in the chat.
PDF of submitted abstracts
Poster Session Breakout Room 1 Moderators: Catherine Cahill, PhD and Jennifer Thomas, PhD
12:05-12:15 Delgado - Cortico-accumbal endocannabinoid signaling modulates cocaine-seeking - LINK to Video
12:15-12:25 Fleischer - Prenatal CBD exposure alters development: A rodent model - LINK to Video
12:25-12:35 Rusnak - Effects of prenatal cannabidiol exposure on early motor development - LINK to Video
12:35-12:45 Tomer - THC alleviates inflammation by modulating immune responses in LPS-induced murine inflammation model - LINK to Video
12:45-12:55 Inman - Contribution of genetic factors to individual differences in anxiety in response to the cannabinoids THC and CBD - LINK to Video
Poster Session Breakout Room 2 Moderators: Samantha Ayoub, PhD and Ron Ellis, MD, PhD
12:05-12:15 Mastropietro - Influence of smoked cannabis on visuospatial learning and driving performance - LINK to Video
12:15-12:25 Rastogi - The impact of oral cannabis administration and co-administration of alcohol on impairment - LINK to Video
12:35-12:45 Rattigan - Law enforcement assessment of body tremors during field sobriety tests: An examination of acute and withdrawal effects of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol - LINK to Video
12:45-12:55 Salazar – The impact of product formulation on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of cannabis edibles - LINK to Video
Poster Session Breakout Room 3 Moderators: Arpi Minassian, PhD and Alannah Miranda, PhD
12:05-12:15 Corroon - Lifetime cannabis use and incident hypertension - the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study - LINK to Video
12:15-12:25 Peterson - Surveying cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome - LINK to Video
12:25-12:35 Jagasia - Brief, online training for physicians about cannabis as a therapeutic alternative for older adults - LINK to Video
12:35-12:45 Viner - Cannabis and “Psychosis?” - LINK to Video
12:45-12:55 Yafai - State of medical cannabis in California - LINK to Video
Day 2: Friday, October 17, 2025
Translational studies of the gut-brain axis
8:00-8:15 Marieka DeVuono, PhD - Rat models of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome - LINK to Video
8:15-8:30 Mahesh Mohan, DVM, MS, PhD - Phytocannabinoid modulation of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in HIV/SIV - LINK to Video
8:30-8:45 Nicholas DiPatrizio, PhD - Endocannabinoid system control of gut-brain communication and its dysregulation in obesity - LINK to Video
8:45-8:55 Moderated panel discussion with the speakers and Q&A; Moderator: David Sela, PhD - LINK to Video
8:55-9:00 Five-minute break
Clinical studies of the gut-brain axis
9:00-9:15 Michael Camilleri, MD - Clinical trial of cannabidiol for gastroparesis - LINK to Video
9:15-9:30 Rachel Wightman, MD - Cannabis hyperemesis syndrome - LINK to Video
9:30-9:45 Pablo Salcedo, MD and Jeffry Florian, PhD - Cannabidiol and liver enzyme level elevations in healthy adults - LINK to Video
9:45-9:55 Moderated panel discussion with the speakers and Q&A; Moderator Ron Ellis, MD, PhD - LINK to Video
9:55-10:00 Five-minute break
Voices from the Community Panel - LINK to Video
10:00-10:55 Perspectives on medicinal cannabis use in the community: Anecdotal reports of the benefits of cannabis was the basis for medical marijuana use laws and the formation of the CMCR. Here we will hear the latest observations of cannabinoids and their use.
Panel discussion and Q&A moderated by Thomas Marcotte, PhD
Panelists:
Michelle Sexton, ND, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology Center for Integrative Health, UC San Diego
Dustin Sulak, DO, Co-Founder, Healer.com
Sherry Yafai, MD Co-Founder, The Releaf Institute
10:55 Closing Remarks from Igor Grant, MD, CMCR Director
Federal Panel
This session was canceled due to the ongoing Federal Government shutdown.
11:00-11:55 The invited slate of stakeholders will discuss future directions in funding for medicinal cannabis research and new directions.
Panel discussion and Q&A moderated by Steve Gust, PhD, Advisor to the CMCR
Panelists:
David Shurtleff, PhD, Deputy Director, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health National Institutes of Health
Susan Weiss, PhD, Director, Division of Extramural Research National Institute on Drug Abuse
Cassandra Taylor, PhD, Public Health Advisor US Food & Drug Administration
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