Jean E. Smith-Gonnell and Mia L. Garcia Join CannMed 26 Innovation & Collaboration Summit Panels on Cannabis Safety and Federal Oversight

Partners Jean E. Smith-Gonnell and Mia L. Garcia will participate in three distinct panels at the CannMed 26 Innovation & Collaboration Summit. They will discuss how cannabis operators can align their microbial testing with modern food and pharmaceutical standards, how existing federal regulatory frameworks will impact cannabis operators as legalization approaches, and best practices and challenges in building stable cannabis safety frameworks.

Jean will join the panels, “Beyond Total Yeast & Mold — Toward Modern, Risk-Based Microbial Standards,” and “Cannabis Regulatory Agencies — Best Practices & Challenges in Protecting Patients & Customers.” The first session will discuss Total Yeast & Mold (TYM) testing and how it falls short compared to modern species-specific microbial testing. The panelists will highlight how new models can improve safety and reduce risk by detecting specific harmful mold species and outline regulatory and operational considerations for modernizing these systems. The latter session will examine how agencies are approaching standard-creation, oversight, enforcement, and stakeholder engagement, as well as the lessons that can be shared across jurisdictions as industry guidelines approach stronger national and international parity.

Mia will participate in the panel, “The Federal Playbook — FDA, FSMA, USDA, USP & the Legal Path to Cannabis Oversight.” Federal cannabis legislation is closer than ever (after the federal rescheduling of certain marijuana products), heightening the importance for businesses to understand how existing federal regulations could affect cannabis operations. The panel will detail how existing federal standards and systems may apply to cannabis businesses in the future.

The CannMed 26 Innovation & Collaboration Summit will see cannabis professionals from across the industry come together to collaborate, innovate, and network in Incline Village, Nevada.

Learn more and register here.

With more than 15 years of experience in the cannabis industry, Jean focuses her cannabis practice on corporate, regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters for dispensaries, growers, receivers, investors, and other industry stakeholders. She assists clients in disputes, maintaining regulatory compliance, cannabis licensing, mitigating legal risks, establishing and reorganizing their companies, and day-to-day operations.

With a focus on complex regulatory frameworks, Mia advises clients on navigating the nuances of cannabis regulation, licensing, and operational issues. She represents operators in the medical and adult-use cannabis markets and in the hemp industry, supporting license acquisition, regulatory dispute resolution, zoning and municipal law, and mergers and acquisitions.

CannMed Events produces an annual summit that brings together cannabis professionals to drive progress in the industry and improve patient care through science, collaboration, and invention.