Dr. Tory Spindle, Using human laboratory studies to advance cannabis regulatory science

May 2023

Dr. Tory Spindle obtained his PhD in Experimental Health Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University. Broadly, Dr. Spindle utilizes human laboratory studies to characterize the behavioral pharmacology of cannabis and individual cannabis constituents. His research seeks to understand how factors such as route of administration (oral, vaped, smoked, topical), dose, product formulation/chemical composition profile, and user factors (e.g., puffing topography, sex, tolerance) impacts the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects of cannabis. Another emphasis of his work is on characterizing cognitive, psychomotor, and driving impairment associated with cannabis, when used alone and in combination with alcohol. Overall, Dr. Spindle’s work is intended to inform policy decisions involving cannabis such as product standards and accessibility, dosing guidelines, and procedures for detecting cannabis impairment. Because the overarching goal of his research is to inform policies and regulatory actions for cannabis, his work can be best described as “cannabis regulatory science.”

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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Kent Hutchison

July 9, 2026, 1 PM Moutain Time

Dr. Kent Hutchison is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Director of the Rocky Mountain Center for Cannabis Research. He received his Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University, completed postdoctoral training at Brown University, and has developed NIH-funded programs of research spanning alcohol, […]

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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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