Manuel Sosa leads the analytical testing and research team at Abstrax Tech. In his role, Manny uses advanced techniques such as Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and HPLC to conduct rigorous tests and refine Abstrax SOPs to improve precision and efficiency.

At CannMed 26, Manny will present “Temperature-Controlled Butane Extraction Minimizes Waxes While Preserving Cannabinoids and VOCs”, which explores how temperature affects the quality of butane extracts.

During our conversation, we discuss

• Butane extraction temperature’s significant effect on wax content
• How cannabinoid and terpene yields remain stable across temperature ranges
• How Manny’s team chemically quantified and characterized waxes and fats using 2D gas chromatography
• Whether colder extraction temperatures can eliminate the need for winterization
• Why inhaled alkanes are an open safety question worth studying

Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: CANN

Since 2015, CANN has been building a strong network of scientists in the cannabis space to promote scientific innovation, safety, and development through education, research, and the empowerment of the scientific community. To learn more about what CANN has to offer please visit their website at www.cann-acs.org.

Additional Resources

• Abstrax Tech Research
• Register for CannMed 26
• Meet the CannMed 26 Speakers
• Review the Podcast
• CannMed Archive

Dr. Mohsin Maqbool is a pediatric neurologist and sleep specialist based in Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas. His work focuses on the intersection of neurodevelopment, sleep, and cannabinoid therapeutics in autism spectrum disorder. He is particularly interested in how cannabinoid formulations may influence sleep regulation, behavior, and quality of life in children with autism.

At CannMed 26, Mohsin will present “Autism, Sleep, and Medicinal Cannabis: Evaluating 18-Month Efficacy and Safety Outcomes”

During our conversation, we discuss:

• The gaps in current sleep medicine for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Results from Mohsin’s 18-month longitudinal study including improvements to total sleep time, sleep onset and maintenance, and overall quality of sleep
• The method of finding the effective dose for each patient
• Cannabinoids’ effect on the duration of REM sleep and what the daytime implications are
• Thinking of cannabis as a tool to supplement conventional ASD medications and not a replacement
• Future research directions – using wearables and EEG to investigate how cannabinoids affect sleep architecture and brain physiology, as well as using biomarkers to see whether patients are a good candidate for cannabinoid therapies

Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: The Society of Cannabis Clinicians

The Society of Cannabis Clinicians is a nonprofit professional association of physicians and other healthcare providers. It provides continuing education—for clinicians, patients, and all concerned about the medical use of cannabis and best practices in clinical care. SCC physicians have been monitoring cannabis use by patients for 20 years and have compiled a wealth of clinical evidence and treatment strategies that will be validated by clinical trials in the years ahead.

To learn more about SCC and to join visit cannabisclinicians.org.

Additional Resources

• Effects of Medical Cannabis Treatment for Autistic Children on Family Accommodation: An Open-Label Mixed-Methods Study
• [Book] Cannabis Is Medicine: How Medical Cannabis and CBD Are Healing Everything from Anxiety to Chronic Pain by Dr. Bonni Goldstein
• Register for CannMed 26
• Meet the CannMed 26 Speakers
• Review the Podcast
• CannMed Archive

Dr. Zamir Punja is a Professor of Plant Biotechnology at Simon Fraser University in Canada. His research interests include the etiology and management of plant diseases and the applications of plant biotechnology for disease management. Since 2018, his work has focused on cannabis, identifying and describing a range of previously unreported pathogens affecting the crop and evaluating various methods for disease management.

Zamir is CannMed regular, having presented at 5 previous events. His presentations are always a highlight of the event because they often feature stunning electron microscope images showing plant structures and pathogens up close. In fact, his CannMed 22 presentation about glandular trichomes has gotten more than 300,000 views on our YouTube page, making it the most viewed CannMed presentation.

Zamir will again present at CannMed 26, this time about non-glandular trichomes in a presentation titled “Non-glandular trichomes in cannabis plants can secrete salts”.

During our conversation, we discuss:

• Non-glandular trichomes: What they are and what they do.
• How leaf spots, initially mistaken for disease, led to the finding that cannabis secretes excess fertilizer salts through these trichomes.
• Theories on why the plant would develop the ability to actively excrete excess salts.
• Practical guidance for cultivators on how to distinguish overfertilization from disease.
• Future research directions — comparing salt-tolerant vs. non-tolerant strains under varying salinity levels and exploring whether this mechanism explains cannabis’s resilience in drought-prone, high-salt environments.

Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: Advanced Nutrients

Advanced Nutrients will once again be a partner-level sponsor for the CannMed 26 Summit, and this year they have put together an amazing package for cultivators that includes:

• Full Access to all the presentations, networking events, and meals at the CannMed 26 summit
• Accommodations at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe
• An elite package of Advanced Nutrients 8th Gen Fertilizers – enough for a complete crop valued at $11,126*
• 1x StrainSEEK® Whole Genome Sequence, valued at $547 – Provided by Medicinal Genomics

That’s a $14,000 value for just $3,499!

Learn more at cannmedevents.com/package-options

Additional Resources

• [Article] Non-glandular trichomes (epidermal hairs) in cannabis plants are capable of excreting nutrient salts under excessive fertilizer regimes
• [Video] Exploring the fascinating development of cannabinoid-producing trichomes
• Register for CannMed 26
• Meet the CannMed 26 Speakers
• Review the Podcast
• CannMed Archive