PHILADELPHIA, PA — Pennsylvania legislative leaders will facilitate a forward-looking discussion on medical cannabis at the Rothman Opioid Foundation’s event titled “Medical Cannabis: What Do We Know & What Do We Not?” on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at the Bluemle Life Science Building at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, 223 S. 10th St., Philadelphia.
The event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and features a policy session with State Senator Amanda M. Cappelletti (17th District), State Representative Chris Rabb (200th District), and State Representative Tarik Khan (194th District). It aims to align legislative priorities with clinical evidence and public health practice through a free, CME-accredited program.
The symposium begins with registration and breakfast at 8:30 a.m., followed by welcome remarks at 8:55 a.m. from chairs Ruth Charbonneau, RN, JD, and Asif Ilyas, MD, MBA. The program then frames the shift from policy to practice, culminating in the public policy session from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Jonathan Bigley, Esq., provides introductions. Senator Amanda Cappelletti and Representative Chris Rabb offer confirmed legislative comments, and Representative Tarik Khan is tentatively scheduled. The session concludes with a moderated panel and Q&A led by Dr. Ilyas. This public policy segment is central to the program’s goal of translating evidence into actionable strategies across clinical settings and government, complementing earlier scientific updates and clinical guidance to support consensus and inform next steps.
“This program marks an important step in helping everyone better understand how medical cannabis can contribute to effective and responsible pain management,” said Dr. Ilyas, emphasizing that convening physicians, policymakers, and researchers fosters shared understanding, safer care, and stronger communities grounded in evidence and practical policy solutions.
Chaired by Charbonneau, Ilyas, and Ari Greis, DO, the program’s first hour, “Where Are We with Medical Cannabis,” runs from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., with Charbonneau moderating and Greis presenting “Understanding Medical Cannabis from a Clinical Perspective.” It is followed by Marcel Bonn-Miller, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Charlotte’s Web, discussing “The Cannabinoid Science Landscape: Therapeutic Potential & Risks,” and Ryan Vandrey, PhD, Professor of Pharmacology at Johns Hopkins University, covering “Where Are We with Cannabis Research.” The session concludes with a Charbonneau-moderated panel. These sessions provide a comprehensive, current overview of clinical applications, mechanisms, benefits, and risks, establishing a shared factual foundation for the upcoming mid-morning policy discussion.
Following the legislators’ block, the program shifts to “Controversies with Medical Cannabis” from 11:00 to 11:55 a.m., moderated by Greis. It features Jahan Marcu, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Physician Research Center Plus, discussing “Cannabis-Induced Driving Impairment: Metrics for Driving,” David Nathan, MD, of Princeton Psychiatry & Consulting, LLC, on “Standardized Labeling of Medical Cannabis,” Eugene Vortsman, MD, on “Opioid Use Disorder & Medical Cannabis,” and Brian Adinoff, MD, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado, on “Synthetic Cannabinoids,” followed by a panel discussion.
The morning ends with Greis introducing keynote speaker Todd Herremans, a former Philadelphia Eagles player, who will present “Medical Cannabis for Pain Management in Sports Medicine” from 12:00 to 12:30 p.m. This session will link athlete experience with clinical practice and policy guidelines highlighted earlier by legislators. Throughout, the chairs’ leadership highlights the program’s interdisciplinary strength: Charbonneau is the Associate Director of the Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp at Thomas Jefferson University; Greis is the Director of the Medical Cannabis Department at Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, an Assistant Professor at Thomas Jefferson University, and a Senior Fellow with the Lambert Center; and Ilyas is the President of the Rothman Opioid Foundation, an Associate Dean and Professor, Vice Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery at Drexel University College of Medicine, and the Hand Surgery Fellowship Director at Rothman Orthopaedic Institute.
Advisors to the symposium include Dr. Ilyas, in his roles with the Foundation and academic leadership, and Jonathan Bigley, Esquire, Principal at Keystone Asset Management and Partner at Bigley & Bickle, whose policy introductions anchor the legislators’ segment and facilitate dialogue between lawmakers and clinicians during the Q&A.
The symposium is free and offers accredited CME for eligible attendees. Advance registration is recommended, and additional information is available through the Rothman Opioid Foundation. All times, speakers, and roles are included as listed in the current draft and agenda, with confirmations and tentative statuses for participating legislators to ensure recognition of every contributor.
Advance registration is recommended. More information is available here: https://www.rothmanopioid.org/
About the Rothman Institute Foundation for Opioid Research and Education.
The Rothman Opioid Foundation, for short, is a non-profit 501c3 organization dedicated to raising awareness of the ongoing opioid crisis, educating physicians and patients on safe opioid prescribing and use, respectively, and advising policymakers on sound opioid and pain management policy. Most importantly, the Rothman Opioid Foundation performs and supports the highest quality research on opioids and alternative pain modalities to yield findings that can better inform patients, physicians, and the greater healthcare community in the most evidence-based pain management strategies while working to mitigate opioid abuse and addiction. https://www.rothmanopioid.org/
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