Ryan McLaughlin, Ph.D

From Seed to Synapse: Modeling the Long-Term
Impacts of Developmental Cannabis Exposure

March 14, 2024, 1 PM MST

Dr. Ryan McLaughlin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience at Washington State University (WSU). The overarching goal of Dr. McLaughlin’s research program is to determine how endogenous and exogenous cannabinoids affect the brain and behavior. His research has shown that the endocannabinoid system is a vital component of the neuroendocrine and behavioral response to stress, and that pharmacological targeting of this system can be a promising therapeutic strategy for treating stress-related dysfunction. Dr. McLaughlin is a recipient of the Healthy Minds Canada Prize in Children’s Mental Health and his research team is currently funded by federal grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). He has over 45 peer-reviewed publications in nationally recognized scientific journals, including Biological Psychiatry, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Neuroscience, Neuropsychopharmacology, and Pain, and has authored several book chapters detailing the role of the endocannabinoid system in the regulation of stress and emotional behavior. His research has been covered in various news media outlets, including Forbes, Scientific American, The Scientist, The Seattle Times, and The Washington Post.

Previous Webinars

Andrew Maxwell Phineas Jones, PhD

July 15th @ 11:00AM MT

Ten years of Cannabis micropropagation: What has changed and what are the best uses

 Dr. A.M.P. (Max) Jones is a professor and leading researcher in cannabis biotechnology at the University of Guelph, Canada. For the last decade his research has focused on plant tissue culture and micropropagation systems for cannabis and in 2018 his lab […]

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Tony P. George, MD, FRCPC

June 11, 2026 at 1 PM MDT

Understanding the links between cannabis use and mental illness: Implications for treatment

 

Dr. George is Professor of Psychiatry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto (UofT), and Senior Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). He received his B.Sc. (1988) and M.D. (1992) degrees from […]

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Jacob MacWilliams, Ph.D.

May 20, 2026 11:00AM MDT

Unlocking the mystery of a key hemp pest, cannabis aphid

Dr. Jacob MacWilliams is a research scientist in Dr. Punya Nachappa’s lab in the Agricultural Biology Department at Colorado State University. Jacob received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of California, Riverside focusing on cowpea aphid resistance in […]

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Shanna Bablonis, Ph.D.

Cannabis and Opioid Interactions: Human Laboratory Studies and Clinical Implications

May 14, 2026 1:00PM MDT

Shanna Babalonis, PhD is an associate professor in the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Medicine Department of Behavioral Science and Center on Drug and Alcohol Research. Her NIH-funded research focuses on clinical trials and human laboratory assessments of the abuse potential, […]

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Michael Petersen

Apr 15, 2026 11:00 AM Mountain Time

Trait Modifications in Cannabis Through Engineering and Editing

Michael Petersen has over 40 years of experience as a researcher and mentor in the plant biotech space. He worked for 10 years at Agracetus, a small startup in Wisconsin and then 20 years as a Senior Fellow with Monsanto. Mike stayed […]

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