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

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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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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