Dr. Ryan Vandrey is a professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Johannes Thrul is an Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins. They both work for the Cannabis Health & Research Initiative, which is a collaboration between two organizations with years of experience in medicinal cannabis research: Johns Hopkins University and Realm of Caring. Simply put, CHRI is a platform of data collection and dissemination focused on the health outcomes of medicinal cannabis at the patient level, and they have created a number of valuable resources to help cannabis medicine researchers, including:

The CHRI is also currently recruiting participants for their National Cannabis Study, which is a collection of firsthand experiences with medicinal cannabis among individuals with various health conditions. Specifically, they are looking for participants who plan to use cannabis but have not yet started cannabis use. So if that’s you or someone you know, we highly suggest you consider participating in the study because the research has the potential to impact best practices in healthcare and the cannabis industry.

During our conversation, Ryan and Johannes shared more details about the CHRI and the National Cannabis Study, and I think you will agree that their mission aligns perfectly with the CannMed Community.

Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: Realm of Caring

Founded in 2013, Realm of Caring (RoC) serves anyone in need of more information about cannabinoid therapies. Through revolutionary CBD and Cannabis research, innovative education, and life-changing grants, RoC seeks to facilitate and encourage the mainstream acceptance of transformative, plant powered therapies to benefit individuals and families and serve healthcare providers as well as the hemp and cannabis industries.

Learn more at realmofcaring.org

Additional Resources

Dr. Bonni Goldstein is the Medical Director of Canna-Centers Wellness & Education, a leading cannabis medicine specialty practice, and the CEO of GoldsteinWellness.com, an educational platform dedicated to helping licensed healthcare professionals incorporate medical cannabis into their practices.

Bonni has evaluated thousands of patients for medical cannabis treatment, with a special focus on treating children with intractable epilepsy, autism, and cancer.

She authored the book Cannabis is Medicine: How Medical Cannabis and CBD are Healing Everything from Anxiety to Chronic Pain, and serves on the board of the International Alliance for Cannabinoid Medicine and Autism Safe Haven. Bonni has also been the medical director for the CannMed Medical Practicum since 2022.

During our conversation, we discussed:

Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: The Society of Cannabis Clinicians 

The Society of Cannabis Clinicians is a nonprofit professional association of physicians and other healthcare providers. It provides continuing education—for clinicians, patients, and all concerned about the medical use of cannabis and best practices in clinical care. SCC physicians have been monitoring cannabis use by patients for 20 years and have compiled a wealth of clinical evidence and treatment strategies that will be validated by clinical trials in the years ahead.

To learn more about SCC and to join visit cannabisclinicians.org.

Additional Resources

No episode this week. We had to call a last-minute audible.

You may have heard that the bill to restart the federal government contained language that would ban hemp products containing THC, which has sent the entire hemp industry, including many CannMed supporters and contributors into chaos. As a result, the guest we had scheduled for this week’s episode asked to reschedule, which we were happy to oblige.

But don’t worry, we will be back with a new episode next week featuring the always wonderful Bonni Goldstein. She has some exciting details to share about the CannMed 26 Medical Practicum, which is going to feature tons of new topics. So please tune in for that one.

In the meantime, I’d like to remind everyone that we are accepting abstracts for the CannMed 26 Summit through the end of the week. The deadline is this Saturday, November 15th. Submit at cannmedevents.com/apply

If you have done any novel research in the areas of cannabis science, medicine, cultivation, or safety and testing, we encourage you to submit an abstract for consideration. If selected, not only will you have the opportunity to present your work to the industry leaders in attendance at CannMed 26, but a recording of the presentation will be added to the CannMed Archive and Medicinal Genomics YouTube page for additional exposure after the event. You will also get an invitation from me to appear on the CannMed Coffee Talk podcast, if that’s something you’re interested in.

See you next week!

Dr. Hemant Kumar Bid is a top educator in the field of Biotechnology and Medical Cannabis, where he uses his extensive background in biotechnology research and cannabinoid research to educate cannabis and biotechnology professionals and infuse the industry with science-backed legitimacy.

In addition to serving as a Program Director for the Morehouse School of Medicine and teaching graduate students, Hemant also serves as a Scientific Advisor for Essentia Scientific, a company that delivers an array of cannabinoid product solutions, including acidic cannabinoids, with their patented water-as-solvent extraction technology.

During our conversation, we discuss: 

Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: CANN

Since 2015, CANN has been building a strong network of scientists in the cannabis space to promote scientific innovation, safety, and development through education, research, and the empowerment of the scientific community. To learn more about what CANN has to offer please visit their website at www.cann-acs.org.

Additional Resources

Caitlyn Krebs is a biotech executive with over 20 years of experience advancing therapeutics, diagnostics, and digital health innovations. She is the Co-Founder and CEO of Nalu Bio, where she leads the development of next-generation cannabinoid-inspired therapeutics with pharmaceutical-grade quality and scalability. Over her career, Caitlyn has completed more than 50 strategic partnerships and product launches across biopharma, diagnostics, and digital health.

Nalu Bio recently announced positive results for a cannabinoid-based therapeutic for endometriosis, a condition that affects 200 million women worldwide.

During our conversation, we discussed:

The timeline for future clinical trials and potential FDA-approval

Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: The Society of Cannabis Clinicians

The Society of Cannabis Clinicians’ Med Cann conference offers a rare opportunity for clinicians to dive deep into the clinical realities and therapeutic potential of medical cannabis and psychedelics. Designed with healthcare providers in mind, their sessions focus on case-based learning, emerging protocols, and real-world challenges—offering practical insights that can be immediately applied in your practice.

Learn more at cannabisclinicians.org and use code “CP15” to receive 15% Off Your Registration

Additional Resources

Dr. Todd Michael is a leading researcher specializing in genome sequencing and analysis, currently serving as a Research Professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and an Adjunct Professor at the University of California, San Diego.  His research has made significant contributions to understanding plant genome architecture, particularly through the study of unique and specialized plants that offer insights into adaptive strategies. His innovative work on pangenome tools and long-read sequencing technologies has advanced the understanding of how plant genomes are organized and how they adapt to specific environmental conditions.

At CannMed 25, Todd presented “Cannabis Pangenome Exposes Minor Cannabinoid Pathway Potential”, which described how his team integrated 193 cannabis genomes to identify extensive genetic and structural diversity and highlight potential breeding bottlenecks.

During our conversation, we discussed:

Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: Advanced Nutrients

Founded in 1999, Advanced Nutrients was the first to develop a complete nutrient system that unlocks the true genetic potential of the cannabis plant. Since its inception, the brand has introduced more than 50 innovations to the cultivation community and continues to revolutionize the space through proprietary scientific discoveries. 

Learn more at AdvancedNutrients.com

Additional Resources

Dr. Emily Lindley is Assistant Professor of Orthopedics and Director of the Colorado Cannabis Research Consortium. Her team’s research aims to identify non-opioid alternatives for the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain. One such alternative that has gained increased recognition in recent years is medical cannabis, and her lab is currently studying the health effects of cannabis and cannabinoids for chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Dr. Rachael Rzasa Lynn is a board certified in pain medicine physician and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Colorado, where she is the Associate Program Director for the Pain Medicine Fellowship. Her research includes investigations in opioid pharmacology and the use of cannabis for chronic pain.

Emily and Rachael co-authored a poster presented at the most recent ICRS conference titled, Recruitment Challenges in Clinical Studies of Cannabis

During our conversation, we discussed:

Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: The Society of Cannabis Clinicians

The Society of Cannabis Clinicians’ Med Cann conference offers a rare opportunity for clinicians to dive deep into the clinical realities and therapeutic potential of medical cannabis and psychedelics. Designed with healthcare providers in mind, their sessions focus on case-based learning, emerging protocols, and real-world challenges—offering practical insights that can be immediately applied in your practice.

Learn more at cannabisclinicians.org and use code “CP15” to receive 15% Off Your Registration

Additional Resources

Dr. Jose Lime is a Professor at Southern Illinois University and the principal investigator in the Cannabis Biology and Cultivation Systems lab. He and his team focus on determining how to leverage environmental controls (light intensity, duration, quality, temperature, and CO2), plant nutrition, biostimulants, and hormones to improve plant production. Moreover, the research group is developing techniques to optimize plant yields and quality based on key crop steering traits that increase sustainability and efficiency via plant physiological, biochemical, and agricultural approaches.

During our conversation, we discussed several recent studies that Jose and his team have published, including:

Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: Advanced Nutrients

Founded in 1999, Advanced Nutrients was the first to develop a complete nutrient system that unlocks the true genetic potential of the cannabis plant. Since its inception, the brand has introduced more than 50 innovations to the cultivation community and continues to revolutionize the space through proprietary scientific discoveries. 

Learn more at AdvancedNutrients.com

Additional Resources

Dr. Mark Scialdone is a recognized expert in the field of organic chemistry, specializing in natural product chemistry, including plant oil extraction, analysis, and chemical modification. He is an inventor of 37 issued US patents and has authored 17 peer-reviewed publications, during more than two decades of fundamental and product development research. He has given numerous invited lectures at more than 40 different academic institutions and international symposia.

At CannMed 25, Mark participated in the Hemp-Derived Cannabinoids panel, which explored the rapid rise of products containing chemically transformed cannabinoids to exploit the 2018 Farm Bill loophole. He also presented a poster that explained the process for chemically converting cannabinoids in more detail.

During our conversation we discussed:

Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: Cannabis & Tech Today

Cannabis & Tech Today is the premier publication for the business, science, and innovations shaping the cannabis industry. From exclusive interviews with industry leaders to deep dives on the latest tech, they cover it all.

Go to cannatechtoday.com to subscribe to their digital and print editions and gain access to exclusive interviews, brand-new technology, and thought-provoking articles from every corner of the cannabis community.

Additional Resources

Another CannMed Summit is in the books. To all of you who joined us in Puerto Rico this year, thank you for making it our best event yet! 

This year’s summit brought together clinicians, regulators, researchers, cultivators, patients, and entrepreneurs from more than a dozen countries. The enthusiasm and passion that they brought to the sessions and the networking events created an amazing environment for creating lasting connections. We can’t wait to see how those connections shape the future of the industry. 

If you weren’t able to join us this year, don’t worry, you can experience at least part of the CannMed magic when we post video recordings of all the panels and oral presentations on our YouTube page and the CannMed Archive. Those will be posted in the next 30-45 days. Be sure to sign up for email alerts to receive an email when they are live. 

We are already looking forward to CannMed 26 and will hopefully have details to share very soon. 2026 is the 10 year anniversary of our very first event, so we are working on some special ways to celebrate. 

That’s it for now. No interview today. We are still resetting following the event, but we should be back with a new episode for July 9th.