This year, the Brno Planetarium once again hosted leading Czech and foreign experts on cannabis and research. They discussed cannabis legislation and the use of cannabis in medical practice.
The conference, organised by the International Centre for Clinical Research, a joint workplace of the St. Anne’s University Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University, offered a comprehensive and above all scientific perspective on this issue. “During the conference, we not only presented the development of research on medical cannabis, but we also wanted to contribute to the demythologization of cannabis as such,” said Václav Trojan, the organizer of the event and head of the Cannabis Facility at the International Clinical Research Centre (ICRC).
“Thanks to our participation, we had the opportunity to promote and share knowledge in the field of medical and pharmaceutical innovation. We were able to network with key experts in the field and share our perspectives on medical cannabis innovation,” commented Ales Hrabak, one of the founders of Zenplanto, the general partner of the 9th edition of the conference.
Accredited course, a novelty of Brno experts
A packed programme with top experts from all over the world was prepared for the participants. The prestigious conference was held under the auspices of Ing. Vlastimil Vajdák, Director of St. Anne’s University Hospital in Brno, who gave the opening speech.
A novelty was the presentation of the newly opened accredited course of lifelong learning at Masaryk University “Cannabis in Health and Disease”. In cooperation with the ICRC and St. Anne’s University Hospital, the first year of the course was successfully organized. The course should promote interdisciplinary cooperation in particular.
Will legislation change in the Czech Republic?
Experts such as Lumír Hanuš, the chemist and scientist who isolated anandamide, and Richard Rokyta, a neurophysiologist, brought their findings. Alexandra Šulcová, a pharmacologist from Brno, discussed the therapeutic potential of CBD. Jindřich Vobořil, national drug coordinator, presented plans to change cannabis legislation. He said that a strictly regulated cannabis market would provide better control and reduce health risks .
Jitka Götzová, Director of the Food Safety Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, led the discussion on CBD and HHC. A delegation from Israel was also at the conference, including Ilya Reznik, president of the International Cannabinoid Therapy Association, and Nirit Bernstein, an agricultural engineering expert.
International cooperation
The Cannabis Facility under the FNUSA-ICRC allows for connections with international experts, for example, over high school thesis topics. One of them was shared by student Eva Matěnová from the Blansko Gymnasium, who collaborated with colleagues from the Medical University of Gdansk.
Research and education are an example of an advanced and developed society. Their support also makes sense in terms of investment in the future. That is why Zenplanto supports the scientific and research exchange of the Cannabis Facility, for example with Gdansk.
Our experts have managed to establish a unique cooperation with the Polish university. The cannabis market there is in its infancy, so the experts are both helping with its development and, for example, jointly developing procedures on how and when to determine the optimum maturity of plants grown for the production of medicinal cannabis.
“We thank all participants, organizers and partners for the great cooperation and look forward to another meeting next year, during the 10th anniversary,” commented Aleš Hrabák from Zenplanto.
