Ask the Doctors featuring Dr Ethan Russo and Dr Sue Sisley

Ethan Russo, MD

Founder and CEO

CannabisResearch.org

Ethan Russo, MD, is a board-certified neurologist, psychopharmacology researcher, and author. He is the Founder and CEO of CannabisResearch.org

Previously, he was Director of Research and Development of the International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute (ICCI) based in Prague, Czech Republic: https://www.icci.science. Medical Director of PHYTECS (2015-2017), a biotechnology company researching and developing innovative approaches targeting the human endocannabinoid system (http://www.phytecs.com), and from 2003-2014, he served as Senior Medical Advisor, medical monitor and study physician to GW Pharmaceuticals, United Kingdom for numerous Phase I-III clinical trials of Sativex® for alleviation of cancer pain unresponsive to optimized opioid treatment and initial studies of Epidiolex® for intractable epilepsy (https://www.gwpharm.com).

He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania (Psychology), and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, before residencies in Pediatrics in Phoenix, Arizona and in Child and Adult Neurology at the University of Washington in Seattle. He was a clinical neurologist in Missoula, Montana for 20 years in a practice with a strong chronic pain component. In 1995, he pursued a 3-month sabbatical doing ethnobotanical research with the Machiguenga people in Parque Nacional del Manu, Peru.

He has held faculty appointments in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Montana, in Medicine at the University of Washington, and as visiting professor, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harvard University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Sue Sisley, MD

President

Scottsdale Research Institute

Dr. Sue Sisley MD is an Arizona-based physician practicing Internal Medicine & Psychiatry.

Sue is President of Scottsdale Research Institute & Principal Investigator for FDA-approved randomized controlled trials examining safety/efficacy of smoked marijuana flower for treating pain, post traumatic stress disorder PTSD, and opioid substitution.

Sue is striving to put crucial medically-active plants/fungi thru entire FDA drug development process to eventually be available in the market as a safer alternative to synthetic pharmaceuticals. Scottsdale Research Institute in conjunction with their 501(c)(3) arm Field to Healed Foundation is collecting objective data hoping to urge health insurance companies to pay for whole plant botanical medicines similar to conventional pharmaceuticals.

Shane Pennington

Shane is an appellate lawyer who focuses on regulatory issues. As a former law clerk to judges on both the D.C. Circuit and the Fifth Circuit, Shane’s unique insights can also assist clients in evaluating potential or pending cases involving complex regulatory issues. Shane is recognized as “One to Watch” by Best Lawyers in America® and as a “Texas Rising Star” in Appellate Law by Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers. He provides administrative-law commentary on his blog, admin.law, and Yale Journal on Regulation’s Notice & Comment blog.

Matt Zorn

Matt is an associate at Yetter Coleman LLP in Houston, TX. He represents plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of commercial litigation matters, with an emphasis on patent and technical litigation. He received his J.D. from Columbia Law School with honors and served as clerk to the Honorable Rodney Gilstrap U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Prior to his clerkship, Matthew practiced with Paul, Weiss in New York City.

He has published several articles ranging from IP issues to federal procedure, has been recognized as a “Texas Rising Star” in IP Litigation by Thomson Reuters' Super Lawyers, and was recently selected to be a participant on Law360's 2020 Editorial Advisory Boards for Cannabis.

Jax James

Executive Director

Informed Texas

Jax Finkel is Executive Director for Foundation for an Informed Texas. After a decade of involvement in marijuana law reform, she founded this 501c3 nonprofit which focuses on rural education. In her tenure, Jax has given hundreds of interviews and participated in many panel discussions and speaking engagements. Foundation for an Informed Texas produced the first medical cannabis ad, which played in rural areas on Fox News and MSNBC. She created curriculum, helped organize and execute regional workshops from 2015 to present. She believes in freely sharing information and facilitating organizational growth.