Part 1 of “Enjoying 4/20 Without Getting High”

This year, 420 falls on a Saturday, and celebrators will be raising the green flag across New England all weekend long.

Celebrations of cannabis are entwined with its history as an intoxicant, because cannabis can get you high. For thousands of years human cultures have inhaled, with recent archaeological studies uncovering THC residue in funeral braziers from Central Asia dating back 2500 years. In the United States and right here in New England, recreational consumption has been the front line in the battle to legalize and fairly regulate the hemp and cannabis industry. 

Beyond the high, however, there is so much to celebrate in the history of non-intoxicating cannabinoids: cannabis as culture; marijuana as medicine; hemp as industry. 

There are many misconceptions, too, and at The Healing Rose, we talk all the time about the benefits of CBD and minor cannabinoids and seek to share our knowledge with our customers and partners. 

That’s why we will be celebrating cannabis next weekend by furthering education and busting health myths at the Cannabis Business Conference hosted by Harvard Business School. 

The Healing Rose’s Laura Beohner will moderate Cannabis 101: Dispelling Health Myths with expert panelists Dr. Staci Gruber, Dr. Benjamin Caplan, and Scott Smith Shaw. An Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Gruber’s expertise in cannabis includes directing the Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery (MIND) program at the McLean Hospital Imaging Center. Dr. Caplan is Chief Medical Officer of CED Clinic and author of The Doctor-Approved Cannabis Handbook, a science-backed guide to the medical benefits of cannabis. Shaw, an early advocate for empowering cannabis consumers through education, currently works with 6 Bricks Dispensary in Springfield and is a leader in the Massachusetts hemp industry.

Hosted by Harvard’s Cannabis Business Association, the panel will offer a comprehensive overview of cannabis science and health facts. More than just a panel, the session is an opportunity to explore the factual landscape of cannabis with industry experts, gain foundational knowledge, and demystify cannabis through dialogue and discussion. Overcoming decades of misinformation around is no easy task. These sessions are designed to bridge knowledge gaps and debunk common health myths, arming industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and consumers to thoughtfully engage in informed conversations about cannabis.

The Cannabis Business Conference is Sunday, April 21, 2024 from 8:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. in Klarman Hall at Harvard Business School. Tickets start at $25, and the Cannabis 101 panel begins at 9:35 a.m. Visit the conference website to learn more about other panels, including those on Diversity & Racial Equity and Navigating Cannabis Regulations.