Southern Illinois University Carbondale is hosting the seventh annual Southern Illinois Hemp and Cannabis Symposium on Sept. 18. Speakers from across the country will share the latest trends, policies and research in the cannabis industry. (Photo by Yenitza Melgoza).
September 08, 2026
SIU hosting 7th annual hemp, cannabis symposium
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Registration is underway for the seventh annual Southern Illinois Hemp and Cannabis Symposium, which has grown from a regional event to one that attracts speakers and participants from across the country.
During the day-long symposium, nine speakers will cover a variety of topics including state and federal policy, hemp/cannabis agronomy and genetics, and emerging biomedical research. The speakers include:
- Ismail Dweikat, professor of agronomy and horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
- Jonna Eckenrod, senior drug and health policy analyst.
- Shelby Ellison, associate professor in the Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences at the University of Wisconsin Madison.
- Reggie Gaudino, director of Cannabis Research Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago.
- David Lakeman, cannabis division manager at the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
- Thomas Lavigne, attorney at the law firm of the Cannabis Counsel.
- Ken Meyer, co-founder of Complete Hemp Processing, LLC.
- Mitchell Westmoreland, director of Science for Due Diligence Horticulture.
- Bristi Poudel, assistant professor at Ponce Health Sciences University School of Medicine.
There will also be a student poster session and numerous exhibitors present at the event throughout the day.
The symposium will be held Friday, Sept.18, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Gower Translational Research Center, 1785 University Press Drive. A reception open to all registered symposium attendees and exhibitors will follow in the same location from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
Registration for the symposium is open ($120 for attendees / $20 for students) and includes a continental breakfast and lunch during the symposium and a light meal at the reception. Those interested can learn more and sign up on the event’s webpage.
The next day, everyone is invited to enjoy the Hemp, Hops and Shrooms festival in downtown Carbondale from 3:00 to 6:00 pm followed by the City of Carbondale Off the Rails concert that evening.