Wednesday, October 17, 2018

The End-of-Day Keynote Event

6:00 PM - 7:45 PM, Ahmanson Hall, Open to All Attendees

“Honoring Women in the Cannabis Industry and the film “Mary Janes: The Women of Weed”

Evening co-Host, Windy Borman, Award Winning Filmmaker

a) The Medicine and Science of Cannabi

Brandie Cross, PhD: Chief Scientific Officer, Smart Pharm Research Group

Swetha Kaul, PhD: Chief Scientific Officer, Cannalysis

Heather Manus, RN: Founding Member, Cannabis Nurses Network

Dr. Sue Sisley, MD & Principal Investigator for the only FDA-Approved Study of Safety/Efficacy of Cannabis and Combat Veterans

b) Social Justice and Cannabis Legalization

Betty Aldworth: Executive Director, Students for Sensible Drug Policy

Fanny Guzman: Co-Founder, Latinos for Cannabis

Karen O’Keefe: Director of State Policies, Marijuana Policy Project

Janve Judasha Praise Sobers: CEO and Founder, Born + Bred

c) The Business of Cannabis: From Cultivation to Dispensaries to Media

Felicia Carbajal: Community Engagement Director, Smart Pharm Research Group

Tiffany Chin: Co-Founder and President, Leafs By Snoop

Ophelia Chong: Founder, Stock Pot Images

Jeanine Moss: CEO, AnnaBis

Priscilla Vilchis: CEO, Premium Produce

Co-Host:

Windy Borman: Award-Winning Filmmaker, “Mary Janes: The Women of Weed”

Windy Borman is the multi-award-winning Executive Producer and Director of "Mary Janes: The Women of Weed", which features a powerful interview from Grammy®-award-winner Melissa Etheridge and 40 female “ganjaprenuers” we call Puffragettes® (as in Pot + Suffragette). “Mary Janes” has garnered “Best Documentary” and “Visionary” awards on the festival circuit and has been featured in The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Forbes, NBC, and ABC. Borman’s recent successes include the 10-time award-winning documentary, “The Eyes of Thailand,” narrated by Ashley Judd; and “The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia,” which premiered at Sundance and on HBO.

The Medicine and Science of Cannabis

Brandie Cross, PhD: Chief Scientific Officer, Smart Pharm Research Group

Dr. Brandie Cross is a San Fernando Valley native and CSUN alum.  She began forming The Pot Lab during her final year at The Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine where she received her PhD in molecular biology.  In her first year at The Pot Lab, she developed nine market products, nine OTC hemp and hemp seed oil products, and six California Cannabis products, with numerous projects in the pipeline. She is the Chief Scientific Officer for Smart Pharm Research Group as well as The Pot Lab, and lives in Leimert Park with her partner and their two cats.

Swetha Kaul, PhD: Chief Scientific Officer, Cannalysis

Swetha Kaul brings more than a decade of technical and leadership experience from academia and the pharmaceutical industry to the emerging field of cannabis testing. Swetha Kaul has a MS in Pharmacology and Toxicology and a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from University of Kansas. Her experience working in the highly regulated pharmaceutical industry provides valuable insight into the rigorous scientific practices required for compliance. As a member of the CCIA Board of Directors and Co-Chair of the Quality Control Committee, Swetha is committed to educating the general public about the science behind testing procedures and legitimizing the cannabis industry by setting a high bar for scientific integrity.

Heather Manus, RN: Founding Member, Cannabis Nurses Network

Heather Manus, RN is a native New Mexican and Registered Nurse specializing in all aspects of medical cannabis care. "Nurse Heather" began her career as a Registered Nurse providing psychiatric home health care to patients in New Mexico. She has extensive background and experience in natural healing modalities and herbal remedies, some of which she obtained from her close association with Hispanic and Native American healers in New Mexico. Her vast knowledge and holistic approach to individualized patient care has been the cornerstone of her success as a nurse, educator, entrepreneur, and promoter of health. Nurse Heather is a Founding Member of the Cannabis Nurses Network.

Dr. Sue Sisley, MD & Principal Investigator for the only FDA-Approved Study of Safety/Efficacy of Cannabis and Combat Veterans: Dr. Sue Sisley MD is an Arizona-based physician practicing Internal Medicine and Psychiatry. She works as Medical Director for medical cannabis license holders in 11 different states/territories from Hawaii to Puerto Rico to New York. Sue serves as Site Principal Investigator for the only FDA-approved randomized controlled trial in the world examining safety/efficacy of whole plant marijuana in combat veterans with treatment-resistant post traumatic stress disorder PTSD. Dr. Sisley is on faculty at Colorado State University PUEBLO campus, recruited for core planning team to organize the CSUP "ICR Institute of Cannabis Research" in Pueblo, Colorado. Dr. Sisley has been a Member of Nevada ILAC Medical Cannabis Commission for the past two years outlining regulations for laboratory testing including limits on pesticides, residual solvents and other guidelines that are currently being used as a model for other states medical cannabis laws. She also serves on the Steering Committee for Thomas Jefferson University Lambert Cannabis Medical Research Center.

Social Justice and Cannabis Legalization

Betty Aldworth: Executive Director, Students for Sensible Drug Policy

Betty Aldworth is a life-long human rights advocate and the Executive Director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. Since 2014 she has led the organization through its most substantial growth to support students and young people who conduct more than 240 policy change campaigns annually to replace the drug war with policies rooted in safety, justice, and education from 300 campuses in 34 countries. Since 2009, Betty has supported cannabis-related businesses and nonprofit organizations, serving as spokesperson and advocacy director for Colorado’s Amendment 64 and Deputy Director for the National Cannabis Industry Association in 2013.

Fanny Guzman: Co-Founder, Latinos for Cannabis

Fanny Guzman is a passionate, lifelong resident of Los Angeles, California and the co-founder of Latinos for Cannabis (LFC), which improves educational and informational resources on the medicinal benefits of Cannabis in the under-served and growing Latino sector. LFC also promotes the socio-economic, community, and business development benefits that the burgeoning industry has to offer. Fanny strives to restore and reshape an accurate perception, image, and understanding of the important contributions Latinos make to the Cannabis Industry; challenging stereotypes and creating pipelines of opportunities. Currently, she is leading and pushing conversations to ensure equitable opportunities through the success of the LA Social Equity Program.

Karen O’Keefe: Director of State Policies, Marijuana Policy Project

As the director of state policies at the Marijuana Policy Project, Karen O’Keefe manages grassroots and direct lobbying efforts in state legislatures for the largest nonprofit that is focused solely on marijuana policy reform. In her 15-year career at MPP, Karen and her team have played a leading role in more than a dozen successful advocacy campaigns, including the first legalization law to pass a state legislature. Karen earned her J.D. from Loyola School of Law, New Orleans and lives in West Hollywood, California.

Janve Judasha Praise Sobers: CEO and Founder, Born + Bred

Janve Praise Sobers is a graduate of New York University with a B.A. in political science and economics. Janve grew up in the overlapping worlds of Cannabis and Social Activism, with a family history in LA of over 75+ years. Having worked for Rep. Karen Bass (CA37) and CNN Correspondent Van Jones, Janve also understands the intersection of industry and policy on which this new era of cannabis is built. For this reason, she and her mother founded Born + Bred, a cannabis microbusiness, and Social Equity Applicant. At only 22, Janve may become the youngest CEO and cannabis licensee in the industry.

The Business of Cannabis: From Cultivation to Dispensaries to Media

Felicia Carbajal: Community Engagement Director, Smart Pharm Research Group

Felicia is a native California Latinx values-based community organizer, social entrepreneur and cannabis patient who’s been affected by the justice system. They have over two decades of experience in California’s cannabis market, getting their start in both the LGBTQ liberation and the medical cannabis movement. Felicia has consulted on numerous cannabis brands, and is a trusted resource for the Autism, LGBTQ, Latino and disabilities community when it comes to the potential of cannabinoid therapies. They currently are the Community Engagement Director at Smart Pharm Research group and are on the Board of Latinos For Cannabis.

Tiffany Chin: Co-Founder and President, Leafs By Snoop

Tiffany Chin is the Co-Founder and President of Leafs By Snoop (LBS), the premier cannabis brand by Snoop Dogg. As the first celebrity branded line of cannabis, LBS is currently distributed in over 140 Colorado retailers, and sold nationwide in Canada. LBS’ product suite spans over 70 product offerings, in both the medical and recreational markets. Before joining the Snoop Dogg team, Tiffany started and sold a business in logistics and packaging, and subsequently went on to consult for Navigant Consulting in their accounting and actuarial sciences division. Tiffany attended the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Ophelia Chong: Founder, Stock Pot Images

Ophelia Chong is the founder of Stock Pot Images and Asian Americans for Cannabis Education (AACE). A graduate of Art Center College of Design, her career path includes photography, music, film and design. She is driven to help shape the new conversation of Cannabis and is guided by one mission: to advocate for the legalization of cannabis and offer truthful reflections of the faces and communities that embrace cannabis. Her newest endeavor is the Bevel Group, which launched in April 2018.

Jeanine Moss: CEO, AnnaBis

Jeanine Moss is a branding and marketing expert, who began her career in new product development for companies like Kraft Food and Seven-Up, and now the first luxury accessories for sophisticated cannabis consumers. After using medical marijuana to reduce her reliance on opiates after hip surgery, Jeanine became a fervent believer in its medicinal powers and is now a strong advocate.  Today, she has been dubbed "The Coco Chanel of Cannabis" and heads up AnnaBis and its team of C-level branding and production executives. She also serves as vice-chair of the National Cannabis Industry Association Marketing & Advertising Committee.

Priscilla Vilchis: CEO, Premium Produce

Priscilla Vilchis, a self-made business magnate, is also known on social media as “The Hollyweed Queen”. She was the youngest and first-ever minority female CEO to be awarded more than a half dozen licenses to cultivate and produce medical and recreational cannabis in California and Nevada. Vilchis, who created Premium Produce, is proud to be launching her own “Queen of the Desert” cannabis brand in October.  Vilchis, who's currently vying for the first-ever full service cannabis lounge permit in West Hollywood, is also striving to make medical cannabis reimbursable by Insurance.