By Marijuana.com Staff (AP)
Nearly 3,000 people are expected to converge on the Oregon Convention Center in Portland for the Cannabis Science Conference, three times the size it was when it began in 2016.
During the three-day expo, from Monday, Aug. 27 to Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, attendees will discover the growing interest in information about the latest research in medical marijuana, cannabis cultivation and its uses in sports medicine and geriatric and pediatric care, said Joshua Crossney, the Cannabis Science Conference founder.
Crossney, president of Baltimore-based CSC Events, said more than 80 speakers and panels at the Cannabis Science Conference will address three topic areas: technology, medicine, and, for the first time this year, cultivation.
“Last year was the first time we did a distinct medical cannabis track,” Crossney said. “We listened to the community and they wanted to have more cultivation topics covered.”
Speakers in the conference’s medical track this year will address cannabis applications in mental health, skin disorders, hospice and palliative care, and the impact of biotechnology.
The programs’ embrace of cannabis for children and the elderly is of particular importance, Crossney said.
“Some people are pushing for pediatric and geriatric research because a lot of times these are the sickest patients in our society,” he said. “It’s so stigmatized even talking about cannabis and children. It doesn’t get talked about too much in conferences.”
As this year’s plenary speaker, actress Fran Drescher, founder of the nonprofit Cancer Schmancer movement, will present “My Journey from Cancer to Cannabis.”
Speakers and panelists will present formal presentations nearly every 30 minutes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. beginning Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018. A pre-conference boot camp that provides a hands-on overview of all aspects of cannabis cultivation is sold out. Tickets range from $79 for admission only to the exposition hall to $299 for full access to exhibits and oral presentations.
