University of Coimbra hosts conference on medical cannabis on 9 and 10 March

The Center for Neurosciences and Cellular Biology of Coimbra announced the first international conference organized by MCC – Medical Cannabis Coimbra. Entitled “Clearing the Smoke on Medical Cannabis”, the event will take place in the Auditorium of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra, on the 9th and 10th of March 2023.

Editing Note: The Article has been updated to inform about the extension of Early Bird ticket sales until the end of January.

There are less than two months left for the first conference organized by the newly created Medical Cannabis Coimbra, a working group led by Attila Köfalvi, neurobiologist and researcher at the University of Coimbra which in 2017 demonstrated the benefits of cannabis in Alzheimer's, and which already has a book published on the subject, “Cannabinoids and the Brain”, published in 2008.

The MCC will provide an unbiased scientific overview of recent developments in medical cannabis, with the aim of fostering scientific discussion on the topic among interested parties, including researchers, students, businesses, regulators and healthcare professionals.

Program for the first day of the event

The event will last for two days and will take place in the Auditorium of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Coimbra and is sponsored by the International Brain Research Organization, the Portuguese Society of Neurosciences and the Doctoral Program Experimental Biology and Biomedicine.

Speakers featured for the event are Ester Aso, Nataliia Aliekperova, Vasco Bettencourt, Ruben Catarino, Sergi Ferré, Julia Florova, Manuel Guzman, Tibor Harkány, István Katona, Bruno Maia, Tiago Reis Marques, Laura Ramos, Katalin Solymosi, Paulo Freitas Tavares , Sara Xapelli, Laurent Venance and Ana Rita Andrade, .

The first day of the event will focus on the botanical aspect of the cannabis plant and the biology of the human endocannabinoid system – with world-renowned biomedical researchers summarizing recent scientific advances in how cannabinoids interact with our bodies, with an emphasis on the brain.

The second day will be devoted to exploring the industry's legal environment as well as the pharmaceutical and therapeutic opportunities associated with medical cannabis.

Program for the second day of the event

The event will also include a poster presentation during the two-day conference, providing an excellent opportunity for participants to discuss and exchange their research and ideas.

About Medical Cannabis Coimbra

A group of experts and enthusiasts of scientists and professors from the CNC and UC formed the MCC – Medical Cannabis Coimbra, chaired by Attila Köfalvi, PhD, with the aim of providing an impartial source of information for interested health professionals and the lay public to make a better decision. Our further objective is to promote the transfer of knowledge among the various stakeholders of the medical cannabis industry, including companies, regulators and healthcare professionals, and to increase its interaction with the scientific community, including researchers and students, as well as the general public by to medical cannabis users.

O register it takes place through the event's website, and has a reduced cost for registrations until the 31st of January, being 75€ for students, 125€ for the rest of the academic community and 225€ for industry members. After the 14th of January, ticket prices rise to €100 for students, €175 for the academic community and €325 for members of the medical cannabis industry.