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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 Awards
8:10-8:40
CMCR Pioneer in Medicinal Cannabis Research Award
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.
8:40-9:25 Moderated panel discussion and Q&A with 2026 CMCR Symposium Award Recipient(s) & previous award recipients; Moderator: Igor Grant, MD
9:25-9:30 Five-minute break
Keynote address
9:30-10:00 Keynote address on Cannabis and Sport
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; Moderated by Tom Marcotte, PhD
Panelists: TBD
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
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 McCarthy, 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
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 moderated by Steve Gust, PhD, Advisor to the CMCR
Panelists: TBD
11:55 Closing Remarks from Igor Grant, MD, CMCR Director
2026 Speaker Bios - coming soon