Meet our speakers

Full Name
Brad Roberts
Position
MD, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
Institution
University of New Mexico
Bio
Brad Roberts is an assistant professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of New Mexico and actively practices Emergency Medicine with Southern Colorado Emergency Medicine Associates in Pueblo, Colorado. He has written a peer reviewed review article reviewing cannabis that was published in the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine and was cited by 23 news outlets including Yahoo News, MSNBC, USA Today, and others. He has authored a chapter in Cannabis in Medicine. He has given lectures regarding cannabis across the United States and to multiple legislative bodies in multiple states. He has written multiple articles in ACEPNow (American College of Emergency Physicians newsletter), newspapers, and other publications. He has appeared in multiple documentaries and podcasts regarding cannabis. He has 3 wondeful children and a wife who are the loves of his life. He likes to be outdoors and also spends time advocating for nature as medicine advocating for people to spend more time outdoors for the myriad health benefits this affords.
Brad Roberts
Full Name
Crystal Collier
Position
PhD, Murphy-Peterson Fellow in Behavioral Health
Institution
The Hope & Healing Center at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church
Bio
Dr. Collier’s comprehensive prevention model, which teaches the neurodevelopmental effects of risky behavior to children, teens, teachers and parents, was selected for the 2015 Prevention and Education Commendation from the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. In 2018 she received the Torch Bearer Award for her work in the field of addiction from the Texas Association of Addiction Professionals. In the same year, The Hope and Healing Center and Institute in Houston, TX, granted Dr. Collier a research fellowship to support the completion of The NeuroWhereAbouts Guide. In 2019, she received the Outstanding Research Award from the Association of Alternative Peer Groups and was acknowledged as Counselor of the Year by the Houston Counseling Association.
Crystal Collier
Full Name
Jacquelyn Bainbridge
Bio
Jacquelyn L. Bainbridge, BSPharm, PharmD, FCCP, MSCS, FAES, is a Professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, where she holds joint appointments in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, and the Department of Neurology in the School of Medicine. Dr Bainbridge received her doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Colorado in Denver, where she subsequently completed a specialty residency in neurology.

Dr Bainbridge is a Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist (MSCS) who is actively involved in clinical research in many areas of neurology, including multiple sclerosis (MS), epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease (PD), back pain and cannabis. Currently, she is working on 3 clinical trials investigating cannabis for the treatment of back pain, PD and autism, sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), 1 synthetic cannabidiol (CBD) study involving patients with Fragile X syndrome. Dr. Bainbridge is involved in 1 additional clinical trial sponsored by the CDPHE, for back pain in patients not on opiates or on opiates, with a dose reduction. Dr Bainbridge continues to study the safety and efficacy of antiepileptic drugs in older adults. She was previously an investigator for several National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded trials researching drugs that may be neuroprotective in PD. Dr. Bainbridge has completed 1 clinical trial using a synthetic CBD product in patients with scleroderma. She has published several articles in professional journals, including Epilepsia, Pharmacotherapy, and the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. She has reviewed and written several book chapters on MS, epilepsy, migraine, chronic pain, women’s issues, pharmacokinetics, and the practice of pharmacy. Dr Bainbridge is a frequent lecturer on topics of neurologic and pharmacologic interest, including MS, chronic pain disorders, epilepsy, migraines, movement disorders, neuroprotection, restless legs syndrome, Huntington’s disease and the administration of cannabis for therapeutic intent.

Dr Bainbridge is a member of numerous professional organizations, including The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC), The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) Epilepsy Foundation of Colorado, the American Academy of Neurology, the American Epilepsy Society, Epilepsy Foundation of America, American College of Clinical Pharmacy, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, Colorado Pharmacists Society, and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. She is the past president of the board of directors for The Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation and The Epilepsy Foundation of Colorado. Dr. Bainbridge is currently on the Board of Governors for The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers, and on the Board of Directors for The Epilepsy Foundation of Colorado Professional Advisory Board and The American Lung Association. Dr. Bainbridge has been elected as a Fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (FCCP), Fellow of the American Epilepsy Society (FAES) and has won several student preceptor and teaching class awards.
Jacquelyn Bainbridge
Full Name
Kenneth Finn
Position
MD, Co-Vice President of IASIC
Bio
Kenneth Finn, MD has been practicing Pain Medicine in Colorado Springs since 1994. He is Board Certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (1995), Pain Medicine (1998), and Pain Management (2000). He is President-Elect (2020) to the American Board of Pain Medicine. He served on the Colorado Governor’s Task Force on Amendment 64, which legalized marijuana for recreational use, Consumer Safety and Social Issues Work Group (2012) and serve 4 years on Colorado’s Medical Marijuana Scientific Advisory Council (2014-18). He has testified to the Canadian Senate on their marijuana bill (2018) and speaks internationally on the health impacts of marijuana, including being an invited to the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and the Texas Medical Society. He is editor of Cannabis in Medicine: An Evidence-Based Approach (2020) and currently the Co-Vice President (2021) of the International Academy on the Science and Impacts of Cannabis (https://iasic1.org)
Kenneth Finn
Full Name
Robert Page
Position
PharmD, MSPH, FAHA, FHFSA, FCCP
Bio
Dr. Page is Professor in the Departments of Clinical Pharmacy , Medicine, and Physical Medicine at the University of Colorado Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine. He has been a clinical pharmacy specialist for the Division of Cardiology Section of Advanced Heart Failure and Heart Transplant for 23 years and has published over 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts, book chapters, and abstracts in the management of patients with cardiovascular disease. He is a Fellow of the American Heart Association, Heart Failure Society of America, American College of Clinical Pharmacy, and the American Society of Health System Pharmacists.
Robert Page
Full Name
Latisha Bader
Position
Ph.D., LP, LAC, CMPC
Institution
Women's Recovery
Bio
Dr. Bader has worked in the field of mental health and addiction for more than 18 years. She graduated from the University of North Texas in 2007 with a PhD in counseling psychology and specialization in sport psychology, and completed her postdoctoral fellowship in Chemical Dependency at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She is a Licensed Psychologist and Licensed Addiction Counselor, in addition she also a Certified Mental Performance Consultant working with elite athletes and teams.

Dr. Bader has worked in a variety of treatment settings including residential, outpatient, private practice, and Native American health care. She spends time in the sport environment in collegiate athletic departments, working with professional teams, and Olympic athletes. She currently compliments the multi-disciplinary team at Women’s Recovery by serving as the Chief Clinical Officer, advancing treatment for women. In addition, she maintains a private practice offering counseling, consultation, educational presentations, and sport psychology services. She authored a chapter in the evidenced based book, Cannabis in Medicine. She serves on the Speakers Bureau for the National Marijuana Initiative as a subject matter expert on emerging research, addiction and treatment.
Latisha Bader
Full Name
Laura Stack
Position
MBA, CSP, CPAE
Bio
Laura Stack Bio Laura Stack is Johnny Stack’s mom and his lead Ambassador. In the business world, Laura is better known by her professional moniker, The Productivity Pro®. She is a Hall-of-Fame Speaker and corporate spokesperson for many major brands. Laura is a bestselling author of eight books on productivity and performance topics with a large social media following, and she has given keynote speeches and training seminars to major corporate, association, and government audiences for over 30 years. On November 20, 2019, Laura suddenly acquired the undesired wisdom of knowing what it’s like to lose one’s child, when her 19-year-old son, Johnny, died by suicide. He suffered from delusion from marijuana-induced psychosis and thought the mob was after him. Laura’s world took a 180. She filed for and received 501c3 nonprofit status for Johnny’s Ambassadors, Inc., with the mission to educate parents and teens about the dangers of today’s high-THC marijuana on adolescent brain development, mental illness, and suicide. Described as a woman with unstoppable drive and unwavering purpose, Laura hopes to help other parents, grandparents, teachers (and frankly all adults with teens in their lives) by honestly and boldly sharing Johnny’s story of his high-potency marijuana use, psychosis, and suicide. The devastating loss of her child gives Laura a powerful voice and a platform for change. Laura sees it as her responsibility to share Johnny's warning to prevent other families from having to go through what she did and save other young lives. Laura’s platform now brings marijuana education, awareness, and prevention curriculum around the globe to raise awareness of THC use, mental illness, and suicide. She presents live and virtual keynotes, breakout sessions, and training for parents, teens, schools, civic organizations, healthcare, law enforcement, anti-drug coalitions, community-based prevention organizations, corporate wellness programs, and government agencies. By sharing Johnny’s own warning about marijuana, Laura helps parents understand and talk to their children about the potential harms of today’s marijuana. She is determined to start a movement to bring teen marijuana use, mental illness, and suicide into the spotlight and get adolescents to #StopDabbing. Laura lives with her husband near Denver, Colorado and has two surviving adult children, ages 26 and 20.
Laura Stack
Full Name
Brian Miller
Position
MD, PhD, MPH
Bio
Dr. Miller currently focuses on clinical schizophrenia research, including inflammation/immune dysfunction, cardiometabolic abnormalities, and insomnia. He is currently funded by the NIMH and Stanley Medical Research Foundation, and has over 100 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Miller has been recognized with several awards, including a 2011 Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the 2015 Augusta University Outstanding Young Clinical Science Faculty Award, and the 2017 OSU College of Medicine Early Career Achievement Alumni Award. He is an editorial board member of Schizophrenia Bulletin, BMC Psychiatry, and Psychiatric Times. In addition to his research, Dr. Miller provides clinical care for patients with schizophrenia, and supervises and teaches residents and medical students in general psychiatry.
Brian Miller
Full Name
Emily Kline
Position
PhD
Bio
Dr. Emily Kline is a psychologist, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine, and the director of psychological services for the Wellness and Recovery After Psychosis Clinic at Boston Medical Center. She is an expert on early intervention in psychosis and the needs of families dealing with mental illness. Her research focuses on mental health care access, treatment outcomes, and family communication. Dr. Kline also enjoys writing and speaking for popular audiences about young adult development and family communication.
Emily Kline
Full Name
Thida Thant
Position
MD
Institution
University of Colorado Hospital
Bio
Dr. Thida Thant is an assistant professor and consultation-liaison (CL) psychiatrist at the University of Colorado Department of Psychiatry. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Plan II honors from the University of Texas at Austin, attended medical school at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston and completed her general adult psychiatry residency and psychosomatic medicine fellowship at the University of Colorado. She is currently the director of the University of Colorado Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Service and the Psychiatric Consultation for the Medically Complex clinic (PCMC) in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Her academic interests include marijuana and its impact on psychiatric practice in states with legalized marijuana, the creation and implementation of marijuana curricula in medical education and psychiatric care for medically and neurologically complex patients. She has spoken at multiple conferences on the topics of chronic medical illness, marijuana and consultation-liaison psychiatry, has authored book chapters about cannabis in books such as Marijuana and Mental Health and Cannabis in Medicine and has developed and published a cannabis curriculum through AAMC's MedEdPortal titled "What You Need to Know About Cannabis: An Evidence-Based Crash Course for Mental Health Trainees."
Thida Thant
Full Name
(albert) Stuart Reece
Position
MD
Bio
Dr. Stuart Reece is a family physician working in Brisbane in Australia where he runs a large clinic with a special interest in the medical treatment of drug addiction. He is interested both in the underlying pathophysiology of drug addiction – how drugs work in the body and why they are so destructive to long term health – and also in the treatment of drug addiction including its radical cure. Dr. Reece has a long standing interest in cannabinoids particularly as they relate to genotoxicity, epigenotoxicity and chromosomal and mitochondrial toxicity which have downstream effects lasting for multiple generations. For these reasons Dr Reece has published several epidemiological research papers on cannabis-induced genotoxicity as reflected in the incidence of both birth defects and cancer development both in exposed adults and in the offspring of exposed individuals and subsequent generations. Dr. Reece extensively uses advanced space-time statistical analytical techniques and the formal techniques of causal inference to analyze not just associations across space and time simultaneously but also to quantitatively evaluate the evidence for truly causal relationships. Dr. Reece was appointed and now re-appointed a Professor in the School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences at both the University of Western Australia and Edith Cowan University in recognition of his many contributions which advance our understanding of the toxicopathophysiology and treatment of drug addiction in general and cannabinoid exposure in particular.
(albert) Stuart Reece
Full Name
Jean Hausheer
Position
MD, FACS
Bio
Dr. Hausheer practices comprehensive cataract and refractive eye care in Lawton Oklahoma with a predominantly native American, military, and rural patient base as Clinical Professor Dept of Ophthalmology, with the Dean McGee Eye Institute, affiliated with the University of Oklahoma. She also works as Adjunct Clinical Professor of Rural Health with Oklahoma State University Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine residency programs in Lawton.
She obtained her medical degree from the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine, and Internship and Ophthalmology residency training at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota.
Jean Hausheer
Full Name
Bertha Madras
Position
PhD
Bio
Bertha K Madras, PhD, Professor of Psychobiology at Harvard Medical School (35 years), is based at McLean Hospital and cross-appointed at the Massachusetts General Hospital. She directs the Laboratory of Addiction Neurobiology at McLean Hospital. Her experiences in neuroscience research, drug addiction, education, government and public service offer a unique perspective at the intersection of science and public policy.
Scientific Research. Her research focuses on neurobiology, pharmacology, brain imaging, drug discovery for addiction, neuropsychiatric disorders, and drug policy. She is author of more than 200 scientific manuscripts, articles, book chapters and co-editor of books: “The Cell Biology of Addiction”; “Effects of Drug Abuse on the Human Nervous System”; “Imaging of the Human Brain in Health and Disease”.
Inventor. She is a recipient of 19 U.S. and 27 international issued patents with collaborators.
U.S. Government Service. She served as Deputy Director for Demand Reduction in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Executive Office of the President, a presidential appointment confirmed unanimously (99-0) by U.S. Senate. In a 2015 landmark Federal Court case, she served as the sole expert witness for U.S. Department of Justice in de-scheduling of marijuana. In 2017, she was appointed as one of six members of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis along with Govs. C. Baker (MA); C.. Christie, (NJ, ret.); R. Cooper (NC); Congress. P. Kennedy (RI, ret.); Attorney General P. Bondi (FL, ret.) She currently is a member of the National Academy of Medicine Collaborative on the Opioid Crisis.
International. She was sole author of a World Health Organization commissioned report, “Update of Cannabis and its Medical Use” (2015) and co-authored “The Health and Social Effects of Nonmedical Cannabis Use. Dr. Madras recently served as a panelist on Narcotics at the Vatican Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
Education. She developed an international course on the Cell Biology of Addiction at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories and a museum exhibit, a CD (licensed by Disney) “Changing Your Mind: Drugs in the Brain” and play, in collaboration with the Museum of Science, Boston.
Honors, awards. She is the recipient of research and public service awards, to include a NIDA Public Service Award, CPDD Innovator Award, and a 2006 Better World Report designation of her brain imaging invention as “one of 25 technology transfer innovations (university to industry) that changed the world”.
Bertha Madras
Full Name
Zerrin Atakan
Position
MD
Bio
After completing her psychiatric training in Hacettepe University, Turkey, Dr. Atakan moved to the UK with a research scholarship, where she obtained her membership degree from the Royal College of Psychiatrists. From 1990 until 2003, she worked as a psychiatric intensive care Consultant and from 2003 until 2007 was the Lead Consultant at the National Psychosis Unit at the Maudsley Hospital, London. She works as a part-time clinician and an Honorary Senior Lecturer and a Senior Researcher at The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neurosciences, King’s College London, where she has been studying the effects of cannabis compounds on behaviour and brain regions since 2000, as well as researching in the development of an intervention model to treat those with psychosis who continue to use substances. She has written numerous articles on the effects of cannabis compounds in peer reviewed, high impact journals and makes frequent presentations on psychoses and cannabis related topics.
Zerrin Atakan
Full Name
Aaron Weiner
Position
PhD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Master Addiction Counselor
Bio
Aaron Weiner, PhD, ABPP is a board-certified Psychologist and addiction specialist, and speaks nationally on the topics of addiction, behavioral health, and the impact of drug policy on public health. He earned his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and completed his fellowship in Addiction Psychology at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. His perspective is informed by years of experience growing and directing addiction service lines for hospitals and healthcare systems, the current state of medical and psychological research, and his own observations in private practice. Dr. Weiner is the President-Elect of the Society of Addiction Psychology, a member of the Physician Speakers Bureau for the National Safety Council, and on the Science Advisory Board for Smart Approaches to Marijuana.
Aaron Weiner
Full Name
Shannon Murphy
Position
MD
Bio
Dr. Shannon Murphy is a pediatrician who currently volunteers her time in drug education. Dr. Murphy received her undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt University and her M.D. from Emory School of Medicine. She completed her pediatric training at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and subsequently worked as a primary care pediatrician in a community group practice in Alabama. She has served on a Practice Advisory Committee on Adolescent Substance Use for the American Academy of Pediatrics and currently sits on the Board of Directors for National Families in Action (NFIA), a national non-profit substance use prevention organization. Dr. Murphy’s primary focus is on adolescent health and well-being. She is actively involved in developing education-based community outreach programs throughout the state with a concentration on marijuana education for teens, parents, and community organizations.
Shannon Murphy
Full Name
Mary Cannon
Position
MB BCH BAO FRC PSYCH MSC PHD, Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Youth Mental Health
Institution
Department of Psychiatry, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences
Bio
Professor Mary Cannon is Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Youth Mental Health in the Department of Psychiatry, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ireland and a consultant psychiatrist in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin. Her areas of research interest are young people’s mental health and early life risk and protective factors for later mental disorders particularly schizophrenia. Her research is funded by the European Research Council and the Health Research Board (Ireland). Professor Cannon is interested in advocacy in the field of mental health and has served on a governmental Task Force on Youth Mental Health and a ministerial rapid response group on Substance Use in Third Level Students. She is vice -chair of the Youth and Student Psychiatry Faculty in the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland. She is a member of the Editorial Boards for the British Journal of Psychiatry, Schizophrenia Bulletin and the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine.
Mary Cannon
Full Name
Phillip Drum
Position
Pharm. D., Clinical Pharmacist
Bio
Phillip A Drum, Pharm, D., FCSHP received his doctorate in Pharmacy from the University of California – San Francisco. He is a 30+ year licensed pharmacist who has had a wide range of experiences – from community pharmacy practice, a residency in Hospital Pharmacy, practice as a hospital-based Oncology pharmacist, Pharmacy Administration work as a Clinical Coordinator and later a Regional Manager and leader of regional pharmacy training and patient safety programs. He has been active in Pharmacy Associations and has spoken state-wide and nationally on various pharmaceutical topics. As a result of a family tragedy, he has been active in research on driving and marijuana and educating the public over the dangers of marijuana in society.
Phillip Drum
Full Name
Marta Di Forti
Institution
MD, PhD
Bio
Dr Marta Di Forti is a Senior Lecturer at the Dept of Social, Developmental and Genetic Research, Institute of Psychiatry, and Honorary Consultant Adult Psychiatrist, Lambeth Community team, South London and Maudsley NHS foundation Trust. She leads the first and only Cannabis Clinic for patients with Psychotic disorders in UK. She was recently awarded a MRC Senior Research Fellowship to expand her research in the role of cannabis use in psychosis and its underlying biology. With her team she showed for the first time that use of high potency types of cannabis e.g. "skunk" carries a higher risk of psychosis than use of traditional types and that it affects rates of Psychotic disorders across Europe. Though it still remains unclear who are those cannabis use most at risk. Her future work aims to investigate the interaction between cannabis use and genes predisposing to schizophrenia, and how cannabis changes the epigenome.
Marta Di Forti
Full Name
Sharon Levy
Position
MD, MPH
Institution
Harvard University
Bio
Sharon Levy, MD, MPH is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician, Addiction Medicine specialist, Director of the Adolescent Substance Use and Addiction Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. Over the past 20 years she has evaluated and treated thousands of adolescents with substance use disorders, and she has written extensively on the topic. In 2016 she established the nation’s first accredited Pediatric Addiction Medicine Fellowship training program. She has expertise in the integration of substance use treatment services into pediatric primary care.
Sharon Levy
Full Name
Robert DuPont
Position
MD
Bio
For 50 years, Robert L. DuPont, MD has been a leader in drug use prevention and treatment. He was the first Director of the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (1973-1978) and the second White House Drug Chief (1973-1977). In 1978 he became the founding President of the Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc., a non-profit research and policy organization that identifies and promotes powerful new ideas to reduce drug use and addiction. A graduate of Emory University, Dr. DuPont received an MD degree in 1963 from the Harvard Medical School. He completed his psychiatric training at Harvard and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. DuPont maintains an active practice of psychiatry specializing in addiction and the anxiety disorders and has been Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Georgetown University School of Medicine since 1980.
Robert DuPont
Full Name
Ed Wood
Bio
Ed Wood founded DUID Victim Voices after the death of his 33-year old son Brian at the hands of two drug impaired drivers on marijuana, methamphetamine and heroin. He has a B.S. in Chemistry from Harvey Mudd College and an MBA from University of Colorado and became the founding CEO of COBE BCT. Mr. Wood has worked with victims, prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, clinicians, drug recognition experts, law enforcement officers, toxicologists, legislators, state officials, and an international list of researchers and other specialists in his quest to increase public knowledge about DUID. Mr. Wood has numerous peer-reviewed publications and wrote the 2017 law requiring Colorado to begin collecting and reporting data on drug-impaired driving.
Ed Wood
Full Name
Roneet Lev
Position
Founder and President of IEPC
Bio
Roneet Lev, MD FACEP was the first Chief Medical Officer of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, ONDCP, 2018-2020. She brought refreshing frontline medical experience to national health policy. She is a nationally acclaimed medical expert and speaker who continues to treat patients in the emergency department and hosts a podcast titled High Truths on Drugs and Addiction. As a mother of four she relates to families who struggle. Lev uses data to drive change and is frequently quoted in print and television media. Lev is dually board certified in emergency and addiction medicine, bringing over 25 years of experience treating the frontline cases of addiction. She came to the White House as chief of the emergency department at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego. In 2012, she established and chaired the San Diego Prescription Drug Abuse Medical Task Force, the first of its kind in California that integrated physicians of various specialties along with hospitals, law enforcement, hospital administration, treatment programs and public health for the purpose of decreasing deaths and mortality from prescription drugs. Lev’s medical publications known as the “Death Diaries” studied the details of prescription patterns of people who died from accidental medication drug overdoses, giving insight to the causes of overdose and directing prevention efforts.
Lev graduated from the University of Texas Medical School in San Antonio and completed her emergency medicine residency training at the University of California San Diego. Dr. Lev served as President of the California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians in 2000. She is Founder and President of IEPC, Independent Emergency Physicians Consortium, an organization providing collaboration to independent emergency departments in California. Her program on Safe Prescribing in the emergency department won the 2014 National Association of Counties award. The California US Attorney's office nominated her for the White House Champion of Change Award. Lev is an energetic leader with a passion to assist communities in preventing and treating addiction. She continues to practice medicine on the front lines and consults on clinical medicine and health policy.
Roneet Lev
Full Name
Roberto Olivardia
Position
PhD, Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Instructor of Psychology
Institution
Harvard Medical School
Bio
Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D., is a Clinical Psychologist and Lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Lexington, Massachusetts, where he specializes in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and in the treatment of eating disorders in boys and men. He has spoken on numerous podcasts and webinars and presents at many talks and conferences around the country. He currently sits on the Professional Advisory Boards for Children and Adults with ADHD (CHADD) and the Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA). He also serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for ADDitude and is Featured Expert on Understood.org.
Roberto Olivardia
Full Name
Jesse LeBlanc
Institution
BS Mechanical Engineering
Bio
Jesse graduated summa cum laude from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1998. For over 20 years, he provided services as both an employee and consultant on the inspection, repair, design, and operation of chemical, refined products (gasoline and diesel fuel), and crude oil pipelines for ExxonMobil Pipeline Company. He also performed risk assessments and hazardous operation reviews for multiple pipeline related projects. While an employee at ExxonMobil, he received numerous awards as an engineering mentor and for his novel solutions that solved several engineering problems.

Before obtaining his mechanical engineering degree, he worked for 17 years in the aircraft industry as a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) licensed Airframe and Powerplant technician and as an Authorized Inspector. During this time period, he was certified to maintain and repair multiple turbine-powered helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, including turboprops and business jets. Prior to and during this time period, he was a FAA licensed Private Pilot. Jesse also recently contributed a chapter, “THC & CBD Decomposition and Terpene Hazards While Vaping or Dabbing”, to the medical text book edited by Dr. Ken Finn, “Cannabis in Medicine, and Evidence Based Approach”. He also has written articles for the parent support group, Every Brain Matters, one of which was an expose’ on Delta-8-THC, Delta-9-THC, and THC-O Acetate.
Jesse LeBlanc
Full Name
Eric Voth
Position
President and Chairman of the Board of IASIC
Bio
Dr. Voth is a specialist in Internal Medicine, Pain Management, and Addiction Medicine and was formerly Vice-President of Primary Care at Stormont-Vail HealthCare in Topeka, Kansas. He serves as the President and Chairman of the Board of the International Academy on the Science and Impact of Cannabis (IASIC). Dr. Voth is a pioneer in the appropriate prescribing of controlled medications and is recognized as an international authority on drug use, drug policy-related issues, pain management, and appropriate prescribing practices. Dr. Voth also serves as an advisor on alcohol and drug abuse issues to the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts, is a former member of the National Advisory Committee for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment of HHS, and is a Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Dr. Voth has advised Reagan, Clinton, both Bush, and Obama administrations, and has advised or testified for numerous Congressional offices on drug related issues. He has appeared on or consulted to, numerous other radio media, and has been quoted by numerous international print media.
Eric Voth
Full Name
William Lynch
Bio
William J. Lynch Jr. received his pharmacy degree from Rutgers University and is a practicing clinical pharmacist with Jefferson Health System where he is a member of the Pain Management & Addiction Committee. He serves as Adjunct Faculty at the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine. His pharmacy background includes over 34 years of clinical practice at Jefferson and Rowan and also as Adjunct Faculty Clinical Preceptor for Rutgers University, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy and Thomas Jefferson University College of Pharmacy. He is a clinical scientific expert member of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, National Marijuana Initiative Speakers Bureau (ONDCP HIDTA NMI) and the International Academy on the Science and Impact of Cannabis (IASIC). He is also a health care professional partner of the Keep Delaware Safe & Healthy Coalition, the State of Delaware Substance Abuse Epidemiological Outcomes Working Group and the Central Virginia Overdose Working Group. Bill serves as an Advisory Board Member with atTAcK addiction and is also a member of the Camden County New Jersey Addiction Awareness Task Force where he serves as the Education and Prevention Committee Co-Chair. He is a certified State of New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety Division of Criminal Justice Police Training Commission Instructor. He also serves as the Gloucester Township Police Department SAVE Program Adviser and as a New Jersey State Police Regional Operations Intelligence Center Drug Monitoring Initiative Fusion Center partner and Health and Prevention Sharing Network partner.
William Lynch
Full Name
John Searles
Institution
PhD
Bio
John S. Searles, Ph.D. was the Substance Abuse Research and Policy Analyst and Chair of the State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup for the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs in the Vermont Department of Health. He retired in 2019. He is currently an appointed member of the legislatively mandated Substance Misuse Prevention Advisory Council and serves on the council’s Equity, Prevention, and Policy subcommittees. He has been on the faculty at University of California, Berkeley, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Vermont. He has co-edited two books (“Children of Alcoholics” and “Alcohol and the Family”) and published over 50 scientific articles in the substance use/abuse field. John earned his doctorate in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley.
John Searles
Full Name
Luke Niforatos
Position
Executive Vice President Smart Approaches to Marijuana
Bio
Luke Niforatos serves as the Executive Vice President at SAM, described by the New York Times as the “well-coordinated opposition” to legalization. Luke’s background is in nonprofit community healthcare, having helped manage Federally Qualified Health Centers and worked on health disparities. Prior to joining SAM, Luke was also the Co-Founder of DocBuddy, a healthcare start-up based in Denver, Colorado that he later sold. At SAM, Luke serves as the principal deputy to the CEO in his roles, manages the day to day operations of the organization, and serves as a spokesman on marijuana issues.
In 2018, he was the campaign manager for the successful ballot campaign to defeat legalization in North Dakota, and led SAM’s legislative victories in more than two dozen states. He has been featured at The Economist’s Cannabis Summit as well as the United Nations’ Commission on Narcotic Drugs, and in dozens of events and town halls across the country on the subject of drug policy. He has also been featured in many national media outlets, including Fox News and CNBC, and his op-eds are regularly published across the country. Luke graduated from the University of Denver, and his home state of Colorado gives him a unique vantage point on the issue of sound drug policy.
Luke Niforatos
Full Name
Janni Leung
Bio
Dr Janni Leung is an epidemiologist and is a Global Substance Use and Mental Health Research Fellow at The University of Queensland in Australia. They have qualifications and training in public health, sociology, and psychology. In addition, they have strong research and teaching experience in epidemiology and biostatistics. They have published over 100 scientific papers and conference presentations in the substance use epidemiology field. Janni is committed to conducting high-quality rigorous research to generate empirical scientific evidence to inform decisions to prevent substance use-related harms in the population.
Full Name
Tyler Gaston
Position
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Institution
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Bio
Dr. Tyler Gaston is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Birmingham VA Medical Center. She obtained her undergraduate degrees in chemistry and psychology at Vanderbilt University, medical school at the University of South Alabama, and completed neurology residency at UAB, and served as chief resident. She also completed her clinical neurophysiology fellowship at UAB prior to joining faculty. Dr. Gaston is a current and past member of multiple committees of the American Epilepsy Society, and serves on the Professional Advisory Board for the Alabama chapter of the Epilepsy Foundation. Dr. Gaston is an adult epileptologist, and her clinical and research interests include exploring novel pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments for epilepsy, treating psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, investigating cannabinoids in treating epilepsy, and treatments of co-morbidities of epilepsy, namely cognitive dysfunction. She is also very passionate about epilepsy education and serves as one of the core clinical faculty for UAB’s Epilepsy Fellowship Program.
Tyler Gaston
Full Name
Madeline Meier
Bio
Madeline Meier is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Arizona State University. She received her PhD from the University of Missouri; completed her clinical internship at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center; and completed her postdoctoral training at Duke University. Her research uses prospective longitudinal and case-control designs to understand the causes, course, and consequences of problematic substance use. She has published over 25 articles on cannabis use and the implications of long-term cannabis use for cognitive functioning, psychosocial functioning, mental health, and physical health. Her work has received extensive attention from both the scientific community and the media, and is being used by scientists, policy makers, and practitioners.
Madeline Meier
Full Name
Daniel Myran
Bio
Daniel Myran is a Family Doctor and Public Health and Preventive Medicine Physician. He practices Addiction Medicine at the Royal Ottawa Hospital. He is a CIHR Fellow at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and an Innovation Fellow with the UOttawa department of family medicine. His research focuses on evaluating the health impacts of drug policy including non-medical cannabis legalization using health administrative data.
Daniel Myran
Full Name
Rachel Little
Bio
Ms. Little is a freelance science writer based in Michigan. With a B.S. in Physics and a M.A. in Digital Rhetoric and Professional Writing from Michigan State University, she writes for a broad range of science topics.
Rachel Little
Full Name
Raymond Bertino
Position
MD
Bio
Dr. Bertino is a retired Vascular and Interventional Radiologist. He is a Clinical Professor of Radiology and Surgery at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria. He is former President of the Illinois Radiological Society and a Fellow in the American College of Radiology and in the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound.

He retired from radiology practice 6 years ago and started working on addiction medicine advocacy. He has been involved in many organizations and projects at the local, state and national levels all with the goal of the reduction of substance use disorders.

He is President of the Illinois Society of Addiction Medicine.
Raymond Bertino
Full Name
Thida Thant
Position
MD
Institution
University of Colorado Hospital
Bio
Dr. Thida Thant is an assistant professor and consultation-liaison (CL) psychiatrist at the University of Colorado Department of Psychiatry. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Plan II honors from the University of Texas at Austin, attended medical school at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston and completed her general adult psychiatry residency and psychosomatic medicine fellowship at the University of Colorado. She is currently the director of the University of Colorado Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Service and the Psychiatric Consultation for the Medically Complex clinic (PCMC) in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Her academic interests include marijuana and its impact on psychiatric practice in states with legalized marijuana, the creation and implementation of marijuana curricula in medical education and psychiatric care for medically and neurologically complex patients. She has spoken at multiple conferences on the topics of chronic medical illness, marijuana and consultation-liaison psychiatry, has authored book chapters about cannabis in books such as Marijuana and Mental Health and Cannabis in Medicine and has developed and published a cannabis curriculum through AAMC's MedEdPortal titled "What You Need to Know About Cannabis: An Evidence-Based Crash Course for Mental Health Trainees."
Thida Thant
Full Name
Thida Thant
Position
MD
Institution
University of Colorado Hospital
Bio
Dr. Thida Thant is an assistant professor and consultation-liaison (CL) psychiatrist at the University of Colorado Department of Psychiatry. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Plan II honors from the University of Texas at Austin, attended medical school at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston and completed her general adult psychiatry residency and psychosomatic medicine fellowship at the University of Colorado. She is currently the director of the University of Colorado Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Service and the Psychiatric Consultation for the Medically Complex clinic (PCMC) in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Her academic interests include marijuana and its impact on psychiatric practice in states with legalized marijuana, the creation and implementation of marijuana curricula in medical education and psychiatric care for medically and neurologically complex patients. She has spoken at multiple conferences on the topics of chronic medical illness, marijuana and consultation-liaison psychiatry, has authored book chapters about cannabis in books such as Marijuana and Mental Health and Cannabis in Medicine and has developed and published a cannabis curriculum through AAMC's MedEdPortal titled "What You Need to Know About Cannabis: An Evidence-Based Crash Course for Mental Health Trainees."
Thida Thant
Full Name
Bertha Madras
Position
PhD
Bio
Bertha K Madras, PhD, Professor of Psychobiology at Harvard Medical School (35 years), is based at McLean Hospital and cross-appointed at the Massachusetts General Hospital. She directs the Laboratory of Addiction Neurobiology at McLean Hospital. Her experiences in neuroscience research, drug addiction, education, government and public service offer a unique perspective at the intersection of science and public policy.
Scientific Research. Her research focuses on neurobiology, pharmacology, brain imaging, drug discovery for addiction, neuropsychiatric disorders, and drug policy. She is author of more than 200 scientific manuscripts, articles, book chapters and co-editor of books: “The Cell Biology of Addiction”; “Effects of Drug Abuse on the Human Nervous System”; “Imaging of the Human Brain in Health and Disease”.
Inventor. She is a recipient of 19 U.S. and 27 international issued patents with collaborators.
U.S. Government Service. She served as Deputy Director for Demand Reduction in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Executive Office of the President, a presidential appointment confirmed unanimously (99-0) by U.S. Senate. In a 2015 landmark Federal Court case, she served as the sole expert witness for U.S. Department of Justice in de-scheduling of marijuana. In 2017, she was appointed as one of six members of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis along with Govs. C. Baker (MA); C.. Christie, (NJ, ret.); R. Cooper (NC); Congress. P. Kennedy (RI, ret.); Attorney General P. Bondi (FL, ret.) She currently is a member of the National Academy of Medicine Collaborative on the Opioid Crisis.
International. She was sole author of a World Health Organization commissioned report, “Update of Cannabis and its Medical Use” (2015) and co-authored “The Health and Social Effects of Nonmedical Cannabis Use. Dr. Madras recently served as a panelist on Narcotics at the Vatican Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
Education. She developed an international course on the Cell Biology of Addiction at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories and a museum exhibit, a CD (licensed by Disney) “Changing Your Mind: Drugs in the Brain” and play, in collaboration with the Museum of Science, Boston.
Honors, awards. She is the recipient of research and public service awards, to include a NIDA Public Service Award, CPDD Innovator Award, and a 2006 Better World Report designation of her brain imaging invention as “one of 25 technology transfer innovations (university to industry) that changed the world”.
Bertha Madras
Full Name
James Berry
Institution
West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute
Bio
Dr. Jim Berry is Professor and Chair of the Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry at West Virginia University School of Medicine and the Director of Addictions. He and his colleagues at WVU have developed innovative community-based treatment models in response to the addiction crisis in Appalachia and are actively engaged in novel neuromodulation research related to substance use disorders through WVU’s Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute including the nation's first trial of Deep Brain Stimulation for opioid use disorder. Dr. Berry has been a dedicated clinician and enthusiastic educator in West Virginia since the early days of the addiction epidemic. He is the proud recipient of The Addiction Policy Forum’s Pillar of Excellence Award for Addiction Treatment, West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resource’s inaugural Medical Provider Award for Advancement of Quality Addiction Care and WVU School of Medicine’s Distinguished Teacher Award. Statewide, he serves as a member of the West Virginia Governor’s Advisory Council on Substance Use Disorders and the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board. Nationally, He serves on the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology’s Addiction Psychiatry Examination Committee, the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine Board of Trustees, the Academy for Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care’s National Integrational Academy Council, and is a member of the Addiction Policy Forum’s Scientific Advisory Board. He has enjoyed advocating on behalf of those suffering from mental illness and addiction before audiences as varied as local town hall meetings to testifying before the United States Senate. He and his patients were featured in the PBS NOVA documentary: Addiction that exposed a national audience to the science behind addiction and the humanity of those who suffer.
James Berry
Full Name
Emily Kline
Position
PhD
Bio
Dr. Emily Kline is a psychologist, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine, and the director of psychological services for the Wellness and Recovery After Psychosis Clinic at Boston Medical Center. She is an expert on early intervention in psychosis and the needs of families dealing with mental illness. Her research focuses on mental health care access, treatment outcomes, and family communication. Dr. Kline also enjoys writing and speaking for popular audiences about young adult development and family communication.
Emily Kline
Full Name
Mary Celeste
Bio
Judge Mary A. Celeste (ret.) sat on the Denver County Court bench 2000-2015. She was the Presiding Judge 2009-10 and the co-founder of the Denver County Court Sobriety Court. She is currently a law school professor and university professor teaching Cannabis and the Law and is considered a national content expert on the topic of cannabis. She was a co-coordinator for the 2022 National Interdisciplinary Symposium which included judges, attorneys, law students, specialty court professionals HR, toxicologists/scientists, law enforcement and NORML. It also included cannabis commissioners and the state legislative experts. She has written many articles on the topic of cannabis and is a national speaker and consultant on many topics related to cannabis including, marijuana and drug impaired driving, specialty courts and cannabis, cannabis and juveniles and other topics.
Full Name
Donna Lisi
Bio
Donna M. Lisi, PharmD, BS Pharmacy, BCPS, BCPP, BCACP, BCGP, BCMTMS is an Independent Clinical Pharmacy Consultant and a Psychiatric Pharmacist.

Dr. Lisi completed her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from St. John’s University in New York and a post-doctoral fellowship in Geriatric Pharmacy at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. She holds board certifications in Pharmacotherapy, Geriatric Pharmacy, Psychiatric Pharmacy, Ambulatory Care Pharmacy, and Medication Therapy Management.

Dr. Lisi has worked in academia, long-term care, acute care, behavioral health, hospice, and medical communications. She has held numerous faculty appointments both in the classroom and remotely and has taught medical and allied health disciplines about safe medication use.

Dr. Lisi serves as Chair of the Somerset County Local Advisory Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Vice President of the Franklin Township Board of Health Advisory Council, is a member of the local Municipal Alliance Coalition on substance use prevention, and a stakeholder for the Somerset/Hunterdon Safe Coalition, a drug awareness and prevention organization.

Dr. Lisi co-founded the Arizona Pharmacy Association’s Pain Management Certificate Program and she has developed webinars for the NJ Hospital Association on opioid prescribing patterns, naloxone administration, and pain management in older adults for NJHA’s Opioid Education Series.

Dr. Lisi is a medical writer, consultant, and educator and has recently authored a paper on the topic of cannabis edibles and pediatric toxicity.
Donna Lisi
Full Name
Janessa Graves
Bio
Dr. Janessa M. Graves, PhD MPH is an Associate Professor in the College of Nursing at Washington State University. Her primary research focuses on inequities in access to healthcare services across geography and among historically underrepresented populations. Topically, Dr. Graves’ research includes pediatric injury, mental health, poisoning, and health services research. Dr. Graves’ work informs state and federal health policies to improve access to and quality of healthcare services for high-needs populations and will ultimately reduce health disparities for rural and underserved communities. Dr. Graves actively leads several ongoing research projects, has authored over 75 peer-reviewed publications in public health and health services research journals, and currently mentors graduate students in nursing, prevention science, and public health.
Janessa Graves
Full Name
Tracy Klein
Position
PHD, ARNP, FAAN, FAANP
Institution
Washington State University
Bio
I am a family nurse practitioner with expertise in both primary and urgent care. I am a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners as well as the Institute for Regulatory Excellence. In addition to the College of Nursing at WSU, I hold affiliate appointments in Prevention Science and Public Affairs. I am also a long term preceptor and affiliate faculty with the Oregon State University College of Pharmacy in the PharmD program where I mentor the PharmD teaching residency and pharmacy student research projects. In January 2022 I became the Assistant Director of the Washington State University Center for Cannabis Policy, Research and Outreach (https://research.wsu.edu/cannabis/)
Tracy Klein
Full Name
Mark Chandy
Institution
Standford
Bio
Dr. Chandy earned his MD and Ph.D. in 2008, at Pennsylvania State University. After completing medical school, Dr. Chandy trained in Internal Medicine at the University of British Columbia, followed by a Cardiology fellowship at the University of Toronto. He also completed a fellowship in Echocardiography and enrolled in the Clinician Scientist Training Program at the University of Toronto. With a desire to learn stem cell biology, Dr. Chandy trained in the laboratory of Dr. Joseph Wu, a world-renowned expert in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and the Director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute. Dr. Chandy’s research has been published in Cell and other high-impact journals. He holds
patents for his novel discoveries. As a recently appointed Assistant Professor at the University of Western Ontario, Dr. Chandy is an
independent physician-scientist using iPSC disease modeling, next-generation sequencing (NGS), proteomics, and gene editing to understand the mechanisms of cardiovascular disease. Dr. Chandy's current research focuses on understanding the pathophysiology of environmental exposures such as air pollution, e-cigarettes, and marijuana on cardiovascular disease using human iPSC-derived tissue. The overarching goal of his research is to 1) investigate the effects of the environment on the cardiovascular system, 2) discover biomarkers to risk stratify patients, and 3) discover druggable target genes for cardiovascular disease.
Mark Chandy
Full Name
Mohamad Moussa
Bio
- Geriatric Trained Hospitalist since 2009.
- Assistant Professor , Emory University School of Medicine.
- Director of Hospital Medicine at Emory Johns Creek Hospital in GA since 2014.
- President of Atlanta chapter at the Society of Hospital Medicine since 1/2023.
Mohamad Moussa