Patient-Centered Programs: The Future of Medical Cannabis in the Face of Federal Inaction and Active Adult-Use State Legalization

Mrs. Victoria Cvitanovic, Esq. Related Seminars and Products

Of Counsel

Rudick Law Group, PLLC

Together with the women of Rudick Law Group, PLLC, I work to help businesses and healthcare providers structure their businesses, build their contracts, meet their regulatory compliance obligations, obtain appropriate licensing and insurance, stay abreast of ever-changing regulations, successfully complete corporate transactions, and plan for contingencies and succession. Specializing in growth-edge highly regulated industries, particularly Psychedelic Medicine and Cannabis, I leverage my litigation background and medical malpractice/medical board defense experience to help my clients ensure that patients and other end consumers have the best possible experience while reducing risk.

Lovie Rodgers, PharmD, MPH Related Seminars and Products

Founder

Crescent City Therapeutics

Dr. Lovie Rodgers earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Xavier University of Louisiana College of Pharmacy and completed an ASHP-accredited PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Ochsner Health System. She also holds a Master of Public Health in Global Community Health Sciences from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

Dr. Rodgers is the founder of Crescent City Therapeutics in Kenner, LA, which was awarded the tenth and final license to dispense medical marijuana in the state of Louisiana. Her innovative work in this space reflects her commitment to expanding access to alternative therapies and patient-centered care.

Her career includes leadership roles such as Director of Pharmacy at West Jefferson Medical Center and Lead Clinical Pharmacist for LCMC Healthcare Partners, a population health and clinically integrated network serving the greater New Orleans area. She also dedicated six years as a full-time Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Xavier University College of Pharmacy, mentoring future generations of pharmacists.

An active member of the Louisiana Society of Health-System Pharmacists (LSHP), Dr. Rodgers has served as Southeast Chapter President and was elected as Board Member at Large Elect. Her professional accomplishments have been recognized with numerous honors, including being named a New Orleans CityBusiness Woman of the Year Honoree (2018), a New Orleans Gambit 40 Under 40 Honoree (2013), a Tulane University BIRCWH Scholar, and Xavier University's Ambulatory Preceptor of the Year (2010).

Dr. Rodgers resides in New Orleans with her husband, Howard Rodgers, and their two sons, Julian and Jackson.

Savannah Hoover, Esq., MBA Related Seminars and Products

CEO | Founder

Seekees Consulting, LLC

Long story short: I help you build resilient and inclusive organizations by co-creating and implementing the roadmap you need to accomplish and sustain your desired outcomes. Accepting inquiries. 

By forming Seekees Consulting as an intentional company of one, I can deliver a customized and mindful approach to each entrepreneur, micro-business, organization or team that's approved as a client. 

I provide strategic consulting services for the unique needs and goals of each client. I am a writer and a marketing professional, but I'm also an artist and an attorney. I've been a leadership facilitator, a surf instructor and a wilderness guide. I've worked with sports teams, law firms, newspapers, universities and economic development groups, and I bring the lessons of these experiences to the table when we work together. 

I look forward to collaborating with those aiming to create a more inclusive, equitable and empathetic world one project at a time.

Jordan Tishler, MD Related Seminars and Products

President

Association of Cannabinoid Specialists

Dr. Tishler is a Cannabinoid Specialist.  He is working to increase the standard of care for patients and the level of education of his colleagues based on data and best practices.  He is the Founder and President of the Association of Cannabinoid Specialists which aims to educate clinicians, lawmakers, and the industry about best practices and needed tools for proper patient care.

Dr. Tishler graduated from both Harvard College and Harvard Medical School, trained in Internal Medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and is faculty at both the Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School.  He has spent many years as an Emergency Physician providing care to the underserved in East Boston and at the Veteran’s Administration. Having treated countless patients harmed by alcohol and drugs, his observation that he had never seen a cannabis overdose led Dr. Tishler to delve deeply into the science of cannabinoids’ safety and treatment.

Dr. Tishler is a national/international Keynote speaker and author on a variety of topics related to the medical applications of cannabinoids, including cannabinoid dosing paradigms, use of cannabinoids for pain management and opioid sparing, cannabinoids for behavioral health, and approaches to treatment of human sexual dysfunction using cannabinoids.  He has numerous scientific and lay publications, has developed ongoing CME educational programs through both Association of Cannabinoid Specialists, Harvard Medical School, and other outlets.  He maintains a steady roster of Ph.D. candidates and resident-trainees in his clinic, InhaleMD.

He is recipient of Clinician of the Year awards from Americans for Safe Access and the Marfan’s Society. He is an advisor to Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, Massachusetts, Georgia, and Alabama Medical Societies, and board member of Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation, and advisor to Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance, and was awarded lifetime membership on the Hadassah Physician’s Council for his work in cannabinoid medicine.

Steph Sherer Related Seminars and Products

Founder and President

Americans for Safe Access

Steph Sherer is a pioneering international leader and expert in medical cannabis patient advocacy. Her personal experience with the therapeutic benefits of cannabis, combined with her background in political organizing, led her to establish Americans for Safe Access (ASA) in 2002. Under her guidance, ASA has grown into the nation’s largest patient-centered organization dedicated to ensuring access to medical cannabis, bridging gaps in knowledge, policy, and regulation, and promoting its recognition as a legitimate medical therapy.

For more than two decades, Sherer has spearheaded successful advocacy campaigns at the local, state, federal, and international levels. She has trained over 100,000 individuals in civic engagement, built a powerful grassroots movement for medical cannabis, and worked with lawmakers across the country to shape and improve medical cannabis legislation. As a skilled spokesperson and strategic campaigner, Sherer has consistently elevated patient voices, influencing policymakers on Capitol Hill and driving progress toward a comprehensive national medical cannabis program and the federal recognition of botanical cannabis medicines.

Sherer’s career is defined by her commitment to eradicating inequities in health and well-being. Under her leadership, ASA achieved significant milestones, including establishing state medical cannabis programs, safeguarding state laws through impact litigation, ending federal interference with these programs, and securing protections for medical professionals. ASA, under Sherer’s direction, also championed the creation of the first product safety standards for the cannabis and hemp supply chain in partnership with the American Herbal Products Association and the American Herbal Pharmacopeia, removed federal barriers to research, collaborated with the World Health Organization to acknowledge the plant’s therapeutic benefits,  helped change the international scheduling of cannabis in drug treaties, and provided guidance and data to the FDA toward recognizing “currently accepted medical use” for cannabis.

After several years spent advancing national medical cannabis frameworks abroad, guiding cutting-edge research initiatives, and reforming international drug policies, Sherer is returning to her role as Executive Director of ASA. She now leads a nationwide initiative—ASA’s “second act”—to fully integrate cannabis-based medicines into the U.S. healthcare system, ensuring that patient needs, rights, and outcomes remain central to this transformative era in medicine.