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

Carolyn Baglole, PhD,

December, 11, 2025 1:00 PM MST

Multi-omics dissection of the molecular and pharmacological effects of inhaled cannabis

Professor Carolyn Baglole earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the University of Prince Edward Island, followed by a PhD in Physiology and Pharmacology from the University of Calgary. Dr. Baglole then completed postdoctoral training at […]

Read More »

Margaret Haney, PhD

Nov 13, 2025 01:00 PM MST

Cannabis Misuse and Therapeutic Potential: Placebo-controlled Laboratory Studies

Dr. Margaret (Meg) Haney is a Professor of Neurobiology (in Psychiatry) at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. As the Director of the Cannabis Research Laboratory and of the Substance Use Research Center in the Division of Substance Use Disorders, Dr. Haney is […]

Read More »

Inga Zasada, Ph.D.

Wednesday, February 18 at 11:00 AM MST

Dr. Inga Zasada brings over 25 years of expertise in nematology, specializing in the biology and management of plant-parasitic nematodes affecting high-value crops such as hemp. With deep knowledge spanning both chemical and nonchemical control strategies, she provides comprehensive solutions for complex nematode challenges. As owner of NemaSolutions LLC, […]

Read More »

Dan Ovadya, CEO

New Methods for Induction of Male Flowers and Scalable Feminized Seed Production in Cannabis Sativa

Dan Ovadya is the Co-founder and CEO of FloraGen LLC, an AgTech company based in Davis, California. Dan has
over 30 years of experience in crop optimization, precision horticulture and seed production systems in controlled
environments. His career in Ag-Biotech centered on developing […]

Read More »

Marguerite Bolt, MS

Sep 17, 2025 11:00 AM MST

Bugs on Buds Pest Management in Cannabis

Marguerite Bolt is the Hemp Extension Specialist in the Department of Agronomy. Marguerite received her M.S. in Entomology from Purdue University, and her B.S. in Entomology from Michigan State University. She has aided in the development of pest management resources for hemp growers in […]

Read More »

Todd P. Michael, Ph.D.

20 August 2025, 11 AM MST

The Cannabis pangenome

Todd Michael, Ph.D. is a Research Professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, an Adjunct Professor at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and Chief Science Officer at the San Diego Botanic Garden (SDBG). His research group focuses on leveraging advanced sequencing technologies and informatics to […]

Read More »