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Agenda
Day 1: Thursday, October 1, 2026
8:00-8:10 Welcome from Igor Grant, MD, CMCR Director
2026 CMCR Symposium Award - Presentation of Award and Keynote Address
8:10-8:40
2026 CMCR Award for Advancing Cannabis and Cannabinoids as Therapeutics
José Alexandre S. Crippa, MD, PhD, Full Professor, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Brazil
The award honors those whose work has led to significant advances in our knowledge of or an expansion to the therapeutic use of cannabis and cannabinoid-based medicines. The groundbreaking research of Dr. Crippa has significantly advanced our understanding of cannabidiol and other cannabinoids, their neuropsychiatric effects, and therapeutic potential through his work in clinical psychiatry, neuroimaging, and translational research. His contributions have helped shape the scientific foundation for cannabinoid-based treatments and influenced research worldwide.
8:40-9:25 Moderated panel discussion and Q&A with 2026 CMCR Symposium Award Recipient(s) & previous award recipients
Moderator: Igor Grant, MD
Panelists:
2019 Award Recipient: Geoffrey Guy, MBBS
2022 Award Recipient: Donald Abrams, MD
2023 Award Recipients: Marilyn Huestis, PhD and Margaret Haney, PhD
2025 Award Recipient: Mahmoud ElSohly, PhD
9:25-9:30 Five-minute break
Keynote Address
9:30-10:00 High5 with Igor Grant MD: Cannabis & Sport with Ricky Williams
Ricky Williams - CEO & Co-founder of Lila Labs, Inc; Alumnus, National Football League
In this special symposium edition of CMCR’s High5 with Igor Grant, MD podcast, CMCR Director, Dr. Igor Grant, will pose his signature High5 questions to his guest, Ricky Williams. A San Diego native, Mr. Williams is the CEO & Co-founder of Lila Labs, Inc., President & Co-founder of Highsman, and Founder of Real Wellness. He was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) from 1999-2011, having played for the New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins, & Baltimore Ravens. He has received numerous awards and accolades, including the 1998 Heisman Trophy from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Mr. Williams is one of the most recognizable figures at the intersection of professional sports and cannabis advocacy. After a standout NFL career marked by explosive talent, personal controversy, and public scrutiny, Williams became an influential voice in the conversation around cannabis, mental health, and athlete wellness. Long before cannabis reform became mainstream in professional sports, he openly discussed his use of cannabis as a tool for managing anxiety, recovery, and the physical demands of football – often at significant personal and professional cost. Over time, Williams transformed his experience into a broader mission focused on education, holistic health, and destigmatization. He has helped challenge perceptions surrounding cannabis use among athletes. His journey reflects a larger cultural shift toward understanding cannabis not simply as recreation, but as part of a broader conversation about wellness, healing, and personal autonomy.
Panel of players' perspectives
10:00-10:55 Players have been among the strongest advocates for relaxing regulations regarding the use of cannabis by athletes. Learn why in this panel.
Moderated panel discussion and Q&A
Moderator: Tom Marcotte, PhD
Panelists:
Ricky Williams - CEO & Co-founder of Lila Labs, Inc; Alumnus, National Football League
Anna Symonds - Executive Director of the Etheridge Foundation; Alumna, Women's Premier Rugby
Riley Cote - Cote Culture Mindfulness Practice; Alumnus, National Hockey League
Andrew "Drew" Durutalo - Director of Rugby Operations, Hong Kong Football Club; Alumnus, Major League Rugby; Team USA, 2016 Summer Olympics
Greta Gains - Singer, songwriter, and cannabis activist; Woman's World Extreme Snowboard Champion 1992
Ross Rebagliati - Founder, Ross' Gold; Team Canada, 1998 Winter Olympics (Gold Medal Men's Snowboarding Giant Slalom)
10:55-11:00 Five-minute break
Cannabis use among elite athletes
11:00-11:15 Cannabis findings from the NCAA Student-Athlete Health and Wellness Study (2023)
Lydia Bell, PhD, Managing Directof or Research, NCAA
Carey Wheelhouse, PhD, Director of Health Promotion, NCAA Sports Science Institute
Alicia Fine, Associate Director of Health Promotion, NCAA Sports Science Institute
11:15-11:30 World Anti-Doping Agency Perspective on Cannabis
Thomas J. Hudzik, PhD, ALA BioPharm Consulting, Member of WADA's Prohibited List Expert Panel
11:30-11:45 Cannabis Use Among Elite Athletes
Patrick Neary, PhD, Professor of Exercise Physiology, University of Regina
11:45-11:55 Moderated panel discussion with the speakers and Q&A
11:55-12:00 Introduction to the poster session - Igor Grant, MD and David Grelotti, MD
Poster Session
12:00-1:00
Day 2: Friday, October 2, 2026
Translational studies of cannabis and sport
8:00-8:15 Circulating Endocannabinoids and Mental Alertness During Ultra-Endurance Exercise
Sebastiaan Dalle, PhD, Exercise Physiology Research Group, Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
8:15-8:30 Endocannabinoids and the runner’s high
Johannes Fuss, MD / Michael Siebers, MD, Institute of Forensic Psychiatry and Sex Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
8:30-8:45 Cannabis and exercise motivation
Francis Chaouloff, PhD University of Bordeaux, France
8:45-8:55 Moderated panel discussion with the speakers and Q&A
8:55-9:00 Five-minute break
Clinical studies of cannabis and sport
9:00-9:15 Cannabidiol and endurance exercise
Danielle McCartney, BSc, MND, PhD, Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, The University of Sydney, Australia
9:15-9:30 Hemp supplementation during resistance training in trained young adults
Philip Chilibeck, PhD, College of Kinesiology, University of Saskatchewan, Canada
9:30-9:45 The effect of cannabis on aerobic exercise
Christian Cheung, PhD, Maastricht University, Netherlands
9:45-9:55 Moderated panel discussion with the speakers and Q&A
9:55-10:00 Five-minute break
CMCR Special Lectures
10:00-10:20 A randomized controlled trial of cannabis or dronabinol in chronic low back pain
David Grelotti, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, UC San Diego
10:20-10:27 Moderated panel discussion with the speaker and Q&A
10:27-10:47 Differences in anxiety in response to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol
Jamie Inman, PhD, Biologist Research Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
10:47-10:55 Moderated panel discussion with the speaker and Q&A
10:55-11:00 Five-minute break
Federal Panel
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
Moderator: Steve Gust, PhD, Advisor to the CMCR
Panelists:
David Shurtleff, PhD - Deputy Director, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, NIH
Cassandra Taylor, PhD - Public Health Advisor, US Food & Drug Administration
Susan Weiss, PhD - Director, Division of Extramural Research, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH
11:55 Closing Remarks from Igor Grant, MD, CMCR Director
2026 Speaker Bios - coming soon