Dr. Jahan Marcu, Inspiring Research in the Field of Medical Cannabis: Past, Present, and Future

December 2022

Jahan Marcu, Ph.D is one of the top researchers and industry experts in the field, contributing to many innovative discoveries, applications, and standards for medical cannabis and its laboratory analysis, cultivation, manufacturing, and dispensing. He is a court qualified expert witness for cannabis and synthetic drugs, and is cited in case law. Dr. Marcu has also created training for the industry and internationally accepted methods for cannabis analysis, and has founded institutions and organizations for research, education, and training programs. He became well-known for demonstrating synergistic interactions for cannabinoids such as THC and CBD in cancer, which has led to the development and marketing of products with those ratios and launched numerous applications and research projects. He helped create the first product standards for cannabis and hemp products, as a chairman of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) cannabis committee. Those standards are now being reviewed by ASTM, where he was accepted as a chairman of D37.07 for the committee on cannabis standards for training, certification, and accreditation. Dr. Marcu’s additional work includes helping to solve the structure of cannabinoid receptors , characterized a class of drugs for cannabinoid receptors called allosteric modulators, and co-authored the first product safety study on Cannabidiol (CBD) products . He is also an author of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia Cannabis monograph, which help set standards for cannabis and hemp products for human consumption. His test methods have received national media attention and has been interviewed by Science and Nature for his contributions to basic research and applied innovations. His studies have been covered by numerous cannabis industry journals, and national media outlets. His work has received praise and used by both regulators, policy makers, and scientists, as addressing an urgent national need. His research and standards documents are often cited in regulations and used to develop medical cannabis programs.

Previous Webinars

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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Francesca Filbey, PhD

Apr 9, 2026 01:00 PM Mountain Time

Understanding Cannabis Use Disorder Through Neuroimaging and Behavior

Francesca Filbey is a Professor and Director of the NeuroImaging of Reward Dynamics Laboratory at the Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas, and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Texas […]

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Travis Higginbotham

March 25 at 11:00 AM (MDT)

Turning Science into Cash Flow. Crop production performance and ROI analysis driven by crop science.25

Travis Higginbitham is the Founder & CEO of Due Diligence Horticulture (DDH). He is a horticultural and operations executive with deep experience leading controlled-environment agriculture, cannabis, and ornamental production businesses through innovation, growth, transition, and turnaround. Mr. […]

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Dr. Yan Wang

12 March, 1:00 PM MST

Real-time and long-term effects of medical marijuana on older adults with chronic pain: Early findings from a prospective cohort study.

 

Yan Wang is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Florida (UF). Her research interests focus on leveraging advanced technologies and methods (e.g., wearable sensors, ecological momentary assessment/EMA) to improve […]

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Igor Grant, M.D. and Thomas Marcotte, Ph.D.

Thursday, February 12th at 1:00 PM MST

The UC San Diego Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research: Some Findings

Igor Grant, MD is Distinguished Professor, and Director of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Established in 2000, the CMCR has been at the forefront of advancing science and policy […]

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Almut Winterstein, PhD.

Jan 8, 2026 01:00 PM Mountain Time

Clinical research priorities gleaned real-world use patterns: the MEdical Marijuana Outcomes Research repositorY (MEMORY)

Almut Winterstein is Distinguished Professor and the Dr. Robert and Barbara Crisafi Chair for Medication Safety in the Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy and in the Department of Epidemiology, and the founding Director of the […]

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