2026 Professional Standard Award Nominee: CannabizMD

CannabizMD LLC is a Maryland-based, woman-owned, and MBE/SBE-certified cannabis science and policy education company founded in 2017 by Jacquie Cohen Roth, MS. Its mission is to educate, build, and engage an ecosystem of professionals committed to better patient and product outcomes.

CannabizMD starts from a simple premise: cannabis safety is only as strong as the people responsible for recommending, dispensing, producing, regulating, and explaining cannabis products. Cannabis programs have expanded faster than professional education has kept pace. Dispensary staff are regularly asked about dosing, product formats, impairment, and medication interactions. Cannabis business leaders must make compliance decisions while state and federal requirements continue to change. Healthcare professionals are increasingly encountering patients who use cannabis even though many received little or no cannabis education during their clinical training.

CannabizMD was created to close those knowledge gaps with evidence-based, credentialed professional education.

As a Maryland Cannabis Administration-approved Responsible Vendor Training provider, CannabizMD trains dispensary and cannabis business staff in regulatory compliance and responsible patient and consumer interactions. Through CannabizMD Academy, the company develops customized education for professionals entering the cannabis field, leadership teams, and existing staff so cannabis science, safety, and compliance become part of professional practice rather than information learned only after problems occur.

CannabizMD is also helping build the next generation of Maryland’s cannabis workforce. Through CannaWorkforce, Inc., the company participates in Maryland’s first state-funded cannabis workforce development initiative through EARN Maryland and the Maryland Department of Labor. The program prepares unemployed and underemployed Maryland residents for positions in cultivation, processing, and dispensary operations with safety and compliance education included from the beginning.

For clinicians, cannabis businesses, and policymakers, CannabizMD provides continuing education through webinars, symposia, and its Cannabis Science + Policy Forums. These programs examine new research alongside changing federal and state policies while distinguishing established evidence from findings that remain preliminary.

CannabizMD has also extended that approach into artificial intelligence through AskCBMD.ai. Rather than drawing answers from the open internet, the platform is designed to respond from sources reviewed by the CannabizMD team, including peer-reviewed research and current federal and state regulations. The goal is to give healthcare professionals, cannabis professionals, and policymakers a more controlled starting point for answering complicated cannabis science and policy questions.

The company’s programs are developed by professionals with advanced education in cannabis science, law, and policy. Founder Jacquie Cohen Roth also serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, bringing professional cannabis education into both academic and workforce settings.

CannabizMD describes education as safety infrastructure. A dispensary employee who understands cannabinoid pharmacology and labeling can communicate more accurately with patients. A healthcare professional with evidence-based cannabis education can better identify medication interactions, discuss dosing, and respond to patient use without relying on stigma or unsupported claims. A cannabis business that understands regulatory requirements can build compliance into everyday operations.

CannabizMD also serves as the founding sponsor of the nonprofit Tea Pad Foundation LTD, which supports women pursuing cannabis STEM careers through skills-based education and professional development.

For nearly a decade, CannabizMD has focused on turning cannabis knowledge gaps into practical standards for professional practice. Its Professional Standard Award nomination recognizes its commitment to making cannabis science, patient safety, regulatory literacy, and responsible practice part of the professional foundation for everyone whose decisions affect patients and consumers.

Learn more about CannabizMD: www.CannaBizMD.com

"I pivoted to cannabis from conventional healthcare, where training standards were never optional. In 2017, CannabizMD was born after I saw a void, a need, and an opportunity to bring that same rigor to medical cannabis. Being nominated by Americans for Safe Access, an organization I have long admired, during Cannabis Safety Month is a full-circle moment for me. CannabizMD's mission has always been to educate, build, and engage an ecosystem of stakeholders committed to delivering optimal patient and product outcomes, because well-trained professionals are the foundation of patient safety. This nomination belongs to every operator, clinician, regulator, and student who chose to do the work of learning it right.” — Jacquie Cohen Roth, MS, Founder/CEO, CannabizMD and The Tea Pad Foundation