Legacy Cannabis Genetics: Research Dissemination Event

Join the research team and Community Advisory Board for a public dissemination event for Legacy Cannabis Genetics: People and Their Plants, a Community-Driven Study—a multidisciplinary, community-based participatory research (CBPR) initiative focused on documenting, preserving, and better understanding California’s legacy cannabis genetics and the communities that steward them.

Funded by the California Department of Cannabis Control, the project brings together academic researchers, scientists, and community-based organizations to examine the history, diversity, and cultural significance of cannabis cultivation across California. Through a combination of oral history, ethnography, botanical science, and policy research, the project centers community knowledge and lived experience as essential to the research process.

This event will highlight emerging research findings, community perspectives, and policy recommendations developed through the project’s collaborative research process. Rooted in CBPR methodology, the project emphasizes two-way dialogue, community participation, and actionable outcomes that support the long-term preservation of California cannabis genetics, culture, and cultivation communities.

A central component of the project is the 13-member Community Advisory Board (CAB), which includes representatives from rural, urban, and BIPOC cannabis communities with deep knowledge and lived experience related to California’s legacy cannabis genetics and cultivation history. The CAB has been collaborating with the research team to help shape the research process, contribute to evaluation and analysis, support the development of findings, and help guide the project’s public dissemination.

This event is intended to bring together state and local policymakers and regulators, academic researchers and university partners, cannabis industry leaders and community members, and legacy cannabis cultivators, breeders, and advocates.

Programming is being developed in collaboration with the Community Advisory Board. It will focus on research findings, community perspectives, and research-based policy recommendations to support the preservation and sustained diversity of California cannabis genetics and the cultivation communities connected to them.

Project Leadership:

• Dr. Dominic Corva, Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor of Sociology, Cal Poly Humboldt
• Genine Coleman, Co-Principal Investigator, Executive Director, Origins Council
• Khalil Ferguson, President and CEO, United Core Alliance
• Dr. Todd Holmes, Principal Investigator, Historian, Oral History Center at the Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley
• Dr. Eleanor Kuntz, Principal Investigator, Co-Founder of Canndor, and CEO of LeafWorks
• Hannah L. Nelson, Esq., OC Research, Education and Development Program Advisor
• Sam De la Paz, Project Advisor on Community Engagement
• Dr. Marj PLumb, Project Advisor on Community-Based Participatory Research

The Community Advisory Board:

• Salvador Robles
• Richard Jergenson
• Adrien Keys
• Oliver Bates
• Mike Corral
• Lindsey Renner
• Bryant Anderson
• AC Moon Cameron
• Jamal Baker
• Trevor Wittke
• Nina Parks
• Wade Olsen
• Jesse Dodd

What to Expect at the Event:

1 pm Arrival + Networking (30 min): Meet the team and connect with other attendees

1:30-4:30 pm Programming:

Project Presentations: The Research team and the Community Advisory Board will present an overview of the study design and objectives, present on research findings, and invite participation from attendees to further inform study findings and the dissemination plan.

Open Q&A: Bring your questions, ideas, and insights

The format is flexible -

Come when you can, stay as long as you'd like, and participate at your comfort level.

Topics Explored:

• What is legacy cannabis?
• Cannabis and cultural memory: the power of oral histories
• Ethnographic research and the political geography of cannabis
• Herbarium science: plant documentation and naming conventions for cultivars
• Sequencing: Using population genetics science to understand biodiversity
• Public policy and legal tools to protect genetic and cultural resources
• Community-Based Participatory Research: how communities can shape and enrich research, not just be studied by it!

Accessibility & Participation Notes

• The venue is wheelchair accessible
• Free and open to all—walk-ins welcome
• RSVP encouraged to help us plan
• Please register each attendee individually
• Informal seating and late arrivals accommodated

help preserve and deepen

Pre-registration is encouraged, but not required. Be part of this groundbreaking event and help preserve and deepen understanding of California's rich cannabis heritage.

Please register each attendee individually. This ensures that we have accurate information for each participant and can provide the best possible experience. Thank you for your cooperation!

Marketing Permissions

By registering, you consent to receive updates from the Legacy Cannabis Genetics project. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Photo/Video Release

By attending, you understand that photos and/or video may be taken to support future educational and outreach efforts. You may opt out of being photographed on-site by speaking with an event organizer.

For more information, visit: www.legacygenetics.org