2026 Canadian Cannabis Research Summit Agenda
Download the 2026 CCRS Agenda, here.
| Wednesday, May 27, 2026 2nd Annual Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Workshop | ||
| Location: Chestnut Conference Centre University Room | ||
| 8:30-9:00 AM | Registration and Coffee | |
| 9:00-9:15 AM | Welcome and Land Acknowledgement | Justin Matheson, Catharine Mielnik and Christina Pereira |
| 9:15-9:45 AM | SGBA+: Cannabis Use and Contraceptives | Jesse Lacasse |
| 9:45-10:15 AM | Update on Sex and Gender Influences on Cannabis Effects in the Human Laboratory | Justin Matheson |
| 10:15-10:45 AM | Cannabis Use and HIV: An Intersectional Analysis of Gender, Sexuality and Race | Tanya Lazor |
| 10:45-11:15 AM | Coffee and Networking | |
| 11:15-11:45 AM | Embedding Accessibility and Disability Inclusion within Cannabis Research and Knowledge Translation | Rose Finlay |
| 11:45 AM-12:15 PM | Building Accountable EDI Frameworks for Cannabis Research | Ika Washington |
| 12:15-1:30 PM | Lunch | |
| 1:30-2:30 PM | Panel: Lived experience perspectives on cannabis research priorities | Panelists: Laura Jamieson; Rose Finlay; Isaiah Kicknosway Moderator: Justin Matheson |
| 2:30-3:00 PM | From Grant to Zine: Queer and Trans Youth Leadership in Cannabis Research | Kira London-Nadeau |
| 3:00-3:30 PM | Coffee and Networking | |
| 3:30-4:00 PM | Developing a Novel Scale Based on the Transtheoretical Model of Behavioural Change to Assess Individual Readiness to Engage with Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in STEM | Kim Hellemans |
| 4:00-5:00 PM | Wrap Up and Knowledge Synthesis Discussion | Catharine Mielnik, Justin Matheson, and Christina Pereira |
| 6:00-8:00 PM | Public Event Cannabis Chats: Your Questions, Expert Answers, Community Dialogue | |
| Free to attend with registration Location: Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, 686 Bay St, Toronto, ON Panelists: Hance Clarke, Kim Hellemans, and Matthew Hill Co-Moderators: Lauren Kelly and Robert Laprairie |
| Thursday, May 28, 2026 Conference Day 1 | ||
| Location: Chestnut Conference Centre Ballroom | ||
| 8:30-9:00 AM | Coffee and Registration | |
| 9:00-9:05 AM | Welcome and Updates | Matthew Hill |
| 9:05-9:30 AM | Cannabis Research Priorities in Canada | Shea Wood and Robert Gabrys |
| 9:30-9:45 AM | Preparing Canadian Pharmacists for Expanded Cannabis-Related Care: Insights from a National Survey and Qualitative Interviews | Jennifer Donnan |
| 9:45-10:00 AM | Peril-Shreds: A Framework for Ethical Cannabis Research Partnerships - Identifying Needs, Gaps and a Path Forward | Daniel Bear |
| 10:00-10:15 AM | The Development of an AI-Assisted Medical Cannabis Evidence Reasoning Instrument: Improving the Translation of Cannabinoid Science | Ron Shore |
| 10:15-10:35 AM | Coffee & Networking Break | |
| 10:35-10:55 AM | Creating a Cannabis Clinical Research Infrastructure: Lessons Learned, Mistakes Made and the Path Ahead | Hance Clarke and Karim Ladha |
| 10:55-11:10 AM | Endocannabinoid‑Based Strategies for Preventing and Reversing Opioid‑Induced Allodynia | Steven Kinsey |
| 11:10-11:25 AM | Cannabidiol to Reduce Persistent Postsurgical Pain Following Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial | Kim Madden |
| 11:25 AM - 12:10 PM | Sex Differences, Pain and Cannabinoids | Ziva Cooper |
| 12:10-1:10 PM | Lunch | |
| 1:10-2:14 PM | Data Blitz 1 | |
| 1:10-1:18 PM | Development of a Medical Cannabis Adverse Events Reporting Toolkit (MEDCART) for Children and Adults | Sepideh Mahboobishoorjeh |
| 1:18-1:26 PM | Prenatal Cannabis Exposure Impairs Placental Development and Fetal Growth in Mice | Cristina Monaco |
| 1:26-1:34 PM | Investigating the Relationship Between Childhood Trauma, Response to Social Stress, and Brain FAAH Levels in Individuals with Social Anxiety Disorder Using the PET Tracer [C-11]CURB | Christina Pereira |
| 1:34-1:42 PM | Adolescent Cannabis Use and Psychological Distress from 2013 to 2023: A Population-Based Study in Ontario, Canada | Andre McDonald |
| 1:42-1:50 PM | Enduring Dose- and Sex‑Dependent Alterations by Adolescent Edible THC Associated with Mesocorticolimbic Dysregulation | Marieka DeVuono |
| 1:50-1:58 PM | Help-Seeking in Youth With First-Episode Psychosis and Cannabis Use Disorder: Insights From The Back to Reality Video Game Series | Aisling Martins-Ezeifeaku |
| 1:58-2:06 PM | Exploring Medicinal Cannabis Disclosure in Primary Care Among Sexual and Gender Minority Young Adults | Tahmina Amini |
| 2:06-2:14 PM | Health-Related Quality of Life in Young Adults Who Report Medicinal Reasons for Cannabis Use | Nicole Dimitrova |
| 2:14-2:29 PM | Mucopentrative Intranasal Cannabinoid Nanoparticles as a Steroid-Sparing Approach for Chronic Rhinosinusitis | Mehdi Nouraei |
| 2:30-3:30 PM | Coffee and Poster Session 1 | |
| 3:30-4:15 PM | Cannabinoids in the Context of Pain and Palliative Care for Children | Tim Oberlander |
| 4:15-5:00 PM | Cannabis Oils for Cancer-Related Symptoms: An Aggregate of n-of-1 Clinical Trial with Implications for Clinical Use and Future Study Design | Pippa Hawley |
| 5:00 PM | DAY 1 Wrap Up | Jibran Khokhar |
| Friday, May 29, 2026 Conference Day 2 | ||
| Location: Chestnut Conference Centre Ballroom | ||
| 8:30-9:00 AM | Coffee & Registration | |
| 9:00-9:05 AM | Day 2 Welcome and Updates | Lauren Kelly |
| 9:05-10:05 AM | Panel Discussion: Opportunities and Challenges for Cannabis Researchers in Canada | Panelists: Iris Balodis, Patricia Conrod, Karim Ladha, James MacKillop and Victor Tang Moderated by Hance Clarke |
| 10:05-10:35 AM | The Effects of THC Edibles on Simulated Driving | Bernard LeFoll and Patricia DiCiano |
| 10:35-10:50 AM | The Impact of Cognitive Fatigue on Motion Coherence Perception in Regular Cannabis Users and Non-Users: A Pilot Study | Jeffrey Jones |
| 10:50-11:50 AM | Coffee and Poster Session 2 | |
| 11:50-12:38 | Data Blitz 2 | |
| 11:50-11:58 AM | The Role of the Endocannabinoid System as a Neural Correlate of Impulsivity in Neuropsychiatric Disorders | Miray Youssef |
| 11:58 AM-12:06 PM | Feasibility, Acceptability and Adherence to Oral Cannabinoid Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis, an inflammatory Neurologic Disease | Kanza Alami Marrouni |
| 12:06-12:14 PM | Behavioral Economic Cannabis Demand Following Recreational Cannabis Legalization: Six Year Findings from an Observational Cohort Study of Community Adults in Canada | Sophie Coelho |
| 12:14-12:22 PM | Distinct Trajectories of Cannabis Use Frequency and Disorder Severity over 8 Years: Findings from a Community-Based Longitudinal Cohort | Amanda Doggett |
| 12:22-12:30 PM | Recreational Cannabis Legalization and Interpersonal Violence in Canada: Evidence from Population-Based Interrupted Time Series Analyses | Edward Wang |
| 12:30-12:38 PM | Back to Reality: Using Serious Gaming to Support Culturally Affirming Psychosis and Cannabis Education in Medical Learners | Suzanne Archie |
| 12:38-1:50 PM | Lunch | |
| 1:50-2:35 PM | From Placenta to Behavior: The Neurodevelopmental Impact of Prenatal Cannabis Exposure | Yasmin Hurd |
| 2:35-2:55 PM | Perinatal Cannabis Use in Canada: Behaviors, Perceptions, and Public Health Implications | Justine Renard |
| 2:55-3:10 PM | "1,2,3, Release": Cannabis Consumption, Mental Health and Well Being During Pregnancy, Lactation and Parenthood | Saara Greene and Rochelle Maurice |
| 3:10-3:30 PM | Coffee & Networking Break | |
| 3:30-3:50 PM | The DeGroote Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research: A Translational Platform for Advancing the Science of Cannabis | James MacKillop |
| 3:50-4:35 PM | Cannabis Clinical Trials in Canada: An Update from the Canadian Medical Cannabis Trials Network (CMCN) | Jason Busse and Lauren Kelly |
| 4:35-4:50 PM | BudTalks: The Cannabis Messaging Reset | Iris Balodis and Deirdre Querney |
| 4:50-5:00 PM | Announcement of Trainee Presentation Awards and Closing Remarks | Catharine Mielnik |
| 5:00 PM | CONGRESS CLOSES |