This series of free public talks reviews the current state of research on the general topic of marijuana for medical purposes, provides space for an informed discussion on the legal aspects of marijuana use and provides perspectives from the licensed production, genetics, pharmaceutical utility, medical profession, and human behavioural aspects of marijuana.

Dr. Jonathan Page is the co-founder of Anandia Labs, a cannabis biotechnology startup based in Vancouver, and an Adjunct Professor in the Botany Department at the University of British Columbia. He has spent his scientific career deciphering the genetic and biochemical secrets of medicinal plants, including the production of THC and other cannabinoids in cannabis. He received his BSc (1991) and PhD (1998) both from the University of British Columbia, undertook training as an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Munich (1998-99) and was a Group Leader at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry in Halle, Germany (1999-2003). In 2003, he returned to Canada to work as a Senior Research Officer at the National Research Council’s Plant Biotechnology Institute (2003-2013). Jonathan co-led the Canadian team that reported the first sequence of the cannabis genome and his work has helped elucidate the biochemical pathway leading to the major cannabinoids. His papers have appeared in PNAS, The Plant Cell and Genome Biology. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Consortium for Investigation of Cannabinoids, and takes an active role in discussions of cannabis policy and regulations. Jonathan continues to work both on building a strong basic research foundation for cannabis and turning Anandia Labs into a world leader in cannabis genetics and biotech.

For more information on the Understanding Medical Marijuana lecture series: http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/events/dreamcolloquium/DreamColloquium-Marijuana/DrJonathanPage.html