Northern Michigan University will host the 2025 Great Lakes Cannabis Collaboration Conference from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, at the Northern Center. The event will showcase developing trends in cannabis education and research, featuring insights from industry leaders and experts at the forefront of the evolving sector. The schedule includes speakers, an NMU alumni panel discussion, a networking lunch and student oral presentations/research posters.
The conference aims to foster progress in cannabis education and scholarship through open dialogue, the exchange of information and ideas, and the celebration of student and faculty achievements.
Presentations include: “Deciphering the Complex Phytochemistry of Cannabis: From Plant to Extracts,” by Iain W. H. Oswald, director of Research and Development at Abstrax Tech; “The Socioeconomic Benefits of Cannabis Opt-in Within a Municipality,” by the City of Detroit's Office of Cannabis Affairs; “The Present and Future of Cannabis Regulations in Michigan, featuring Brian Hanna, executive director of Michigan's Cannabis Regulatory Agency; and “Social Equity in Motion: From Policy to Profits,” by Jess Jackson, director of social equity in Minnesota's Office of Cannabis Management and a member of the Board of Directors for the Redemption Foundation.
An NMU alumni panel will feature five confirmed speakers: Ishani Sharma, a cannabis research student; Morgan Naumann, retail director and cultivation supervisor at Boreal Cannabis; Christopher Aguilar, team lead at Higher Love Cannabis Co. and owner of Transparent Farms; Sam Frishman, assistant head grower at High Society; and Samuel Hummel, propagation/small veg team member at Higher Love Cannabis Co.
The community is invited to a post-conference presentation titled “The Science of Scent: Exploring Cannabis's Complex Aromatic Influences” by cannabis research scientist Twinke Paryani, who will be a guest speaker in Professor Alex Wilson's medicinal plant chemistry seminar. The talk is scheduled from 5-5:50 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, in The Science Building 2904.
NMU's Medicinal Plant Chemistry program, launched in fall 2017, was the first four-year undergraduate degree of its kind. The program is designed to prepare students for success in the emerging industries related to medicinal plant production, analysis, and distribution.
Find more information on the Great Lakes Cannabis Collaboration Conference here.