Dr. Susan Weiss, Cannabis Research and Policy: State of the Science

October 2021

Dr. Susan Weiss is the Director, Division of Extramural Research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which oversees NIDA’s extramural programs, operations planning, and trans-NIH initiatives, such as the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD®) and HEALthy Brain Child Development (HBCD) studies, and the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative. Dr. Weiss also serves as a senior science advisor to the NIDA Director and scientific liaison to the NIH, HHS, and other Federal Agencies. Previously, she served as the Chief of the Science Policy Branch and Acting Director of NIDA’s Office of Science Policy and Communications.

Before coming to NIDA, Dr. Weiss was the Senior Director of Research at the National Mental Health Association (now Mental Health America), and previously she directed a translational research program in the Biological Psychiatry Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health.

Dr. Weiss received multiple awards, including NIH Plain Language Awards, NIH and NIDA Director’s Awards, and an Emmy for her contributions to the HBO Addiction Project. She has published more than 150 scientific articles and chapters, graduated from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and received her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Maryland.

Previous Webinars

Rachel Tomko, PhD.

10 July, 2025, 1 PM MST 

Understanding Young Adults’ Cannabis Use and Craving in Naturalistic Settings: Insights from Ecological Momentary Assessment 

Dr. Rachel Tomko is an Associate Professor in the Addiction Sciences Division at MUSC’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and a licensed clinical psychologist. Her research focuses on how individual and sex-related factors influence cannabis […]

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Cynthia Ocamb, PhD.

July 16, 2025, 11 AM MST

Cynthia Ocamb is a professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Oregon State University, based in Corvallis, OR. Ocamb provides statewide leadership in the diagnosis and management of diseases of field and vegetable crops as an Extension specialist in plant pathology. She is a co-editor of the […]

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Carolina Corredor, PhD.

June 18, 2025, 11:00AM MST

Carolina Corredor, Ph.D. in Agroecology and Agricultural Microbiologist, specializes in cannabis cultivation, plant physiology, plant–microbe interactions, and seed viability. With over six years of teaching experience in biology and microbiology, her research focuses on optimizing sustainable cannabis production for cannabinoids, fiber, and grain. As a Visiting Research Scholar and Postdoctoral Researcher, […]

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Devan Kansagara, MD., PhD.

Systematically Testing the Evidence on Marijuana (STEM): Bridging the science of cannabis health effects and clinical practice

June 12, 2025, 1:00 PM MST

Devan Kansagara MD, MCR is a Professor of Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. He practices and teaches primary care and hospital- based internal medicine in the VA Portland Health Care System. His […]

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Dan Covey, PHD

Effects of isolated cannabinoids and endocannabinoids on emotional behavior in rodents

May 8, 2025 1:00 PM MST

Dan is currently an Assistant Professor at Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute (LBRI) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He started this position in June 2020 after completing his PhD at Illinois State University and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Maryland […]

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Nolan Kane, PhD.

Genetics, chemistry and the evolution of sex chromosomes in Cannabis

May 21, 2025 11:00 AM MST

Dr. Nolan Kane is an associate professor in the ebio department at the university of Colorado, boulder. he uses genomic approaches to study adaptation to new environments, domestication of wild plants into valuable crops, and the formation of new species. his work has […]

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