Speakers

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  Joana Silveira Botelho

  Lawyer

  Cuatrecasas

  She has 15 years of experience in Health Law and leads the Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences area at the law firm Cuatrecasas.; provides ongoing advice to pharmaceutical companies, tissue and cell banks and distributors of medical devices, particularly in the regulatory area and on matters related to the commercialization of health products and services
  Also provides legal advice on: specific biotechnology-based and start-up projects; clinical trials; and on matters relating to the protection of personal data and due diligence; restructuring of transactions and merger and acquisition operations in the healthcare sector. She has been following several medical cannabis projects in Portugal, namely in the licensing and monitoring of cultivation, distribution, manufacturing and marketing projects and qualification of medicinal cannabis-based products.
  Before joining Cuatrecasas, he worked at another law firm in Portugal.
  She is recommended by the main international legal directory, Chambers and Partners, for the Life Sciences area and  is the author of the Pharma Legal Handbook – Portugal.
  She has a degree in Law from the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, a  postgraduate degrees from Universidade Nova de Lisboa and Universidade de Coimbra and a master's degree from Universidade Nova de Lisboa.

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  Andris Visnevskis

  Food Engineer

  Obelisk Farm

  Andris is co-founder of the Obelisk Farm project. Originally from Latvia, he currently lives and works between his farm in Latvia and Portugal. Since he started the Obelisk Farm project, his mission has been to provide information and support in the transition to a life in harmony with nature, with the help of hemp. In addition to growing hemp for over 8 years, he has also co-organized hemp workshops since 2017, guides farm tours, creates and produces all products developed by Obelisk Farm. He has a background in Food Engineering and Organic Agriculture, and also attended Steve Allin's hemp construction course. In addition to his specialization in hemp cultivation, he explores different uses of hemp, including paper and fiber.

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  Beatriz Ferreira de Carvalho

  Researcher

  Beatriz Ferreira de Carvalho was born in Portugal in 1999. She graduated from Amsterdam University College, following a unique path that intertwined neuroscience with political science. This innovative approach allowed her to study the impact of drug use from both physiological and social implications. She holds a master's degree in Development Studies from the Geneva Graduate Institute, where she dedicated herself to studying the symbiotic relationship between global policies and the dynamics of local communities, seeking to incorporate creativity in the defense of social justice. During her master's degree, Beatriz collaborated with a startup investigating the potential challenges and benefits of blockchain technology in the context of humanitarian aid, in addition, she participated in a summer program organized by the EMCDDA on European drug policy.

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  Dinis Dias

  CEO

  Magic Courtyard

  Dinis Dias was born in Lisbon in 1977 and in 1998 he began his degree in Anthropology in Coimbra. He completed 2 years of Erasmus at the University of Barcelona, where he had contact with the first associations and publications on cannabis culture (ARSEC, Revista Cânhamo). In 2002, he returned to Portugal, and the following year (2003) he opened Cognoscitiva in Bairro Alto, one of the first Grow Shops in Portugal. He was part of the MGM Lisbon organization in 2007, 2008 and 2009, and in the same year he founded the first free distribution newspaper on cannabis culture in Portugal (A Folha – Cultura Canábica para adults). In 2010, he was one of the founding members of the first cooperative for the development of hemp in Portugal (Cannapor). In 2017, he is one of the founders and Vice-President of Cannativa-Association for Cannabis Studies, actively participating in the hearings of the Health Specialty Committee in Parliament during the legislative initiative that culminated in the approval of the Medical Cannabis Law in 2018. Between 2017 and 2018, he worked as a Master Grower at a medical cannabis producer in Toronto, Canada. In 2018 he co-founded Prisma, (now CannPrisma) which he left in 2019 to create Magic Courtyard Lda, a consultancy company in the area of medicinal cannabis, in which he is a consultant and administrator to date.

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  Francisco Adão da Fonseca

  Architect

  Pedrêz

  Francisco Fonseca is an architect by the Technical University of Delft, in the Netherlands, where he first worked in the field of low-tech architecture and building systems (2004-2009).
  In 2010 he started Skrei, a leading collective in the field of experimental architecture in Portugal, which gave place to Pedrêz, in 2021.
  Fracisco co-founded Pedrêz with the clothing designer Matilde Cabral, where he continues the work developed at Skrei, now focusing on cultivated building materials and self reliant infraestructures.
  He is author of exploratory buildings made with hempcrete, multilayered hempblocks and charcoal-hemp, developing his own recipes, tools and machines.
  His experimental work has been showcased in art galleries and musea such as Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, MAAT, Museu do Chiado, the Royal Accademy of Arts, Swiss Architecture Museum, Matadero, and Collumbia University.

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  Henrique Pinto

  Founding Member

  Clorofila 560

  MODERATOR

  He has been a cannabis activist practically since he found cannabis to be a good treatment aid for Rheumatoid Arthritis, which he suffers from.
  The creation of Clorofila560 happens for this same reason and focused on the concept of bringing quality paraphernalia items created in Portugal and also helping to publicize all the work that has been done linked to industrial hemp and its various practical applications, mainly in Portugal .
  He also created the Cannabos Podcast together with the famous Mortalhas aos Molhos and in a timid way has been presenting ideas of what could be a channel of information and conversation between the various stakeholders in the cause.
  The connection with the Cannabis Revolution happens in a natural way, in which the activism that has already happened comes together with new forms and new people in a community, supportive way and with a focus on the Legalization of Cannabis.
  All for the plant. Together we are stronger

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  Hugo Monteiro

  Founding Member

  Cannapro

  Producer of aromatic, medicinal plants and essential oils in organic mode since 2013. I embraced industrial hemp cultivation in 2018 and since then have dedicated myself to the study and practice of this culture, as well as its transformation processes, from the area of sustainable construction to the refined art of aromatherapy. I was the founder of Lusicanna, a cooperative of hemp producers in Portugal, and Cannacasa, an industrial hemp association in Portugal. I am a regular participant in presentations at Cannadouro, Cannazores and Cannaportugal. Currently, I am mainly dedicated to advising and monitoring production, transformation and commercialization projects in the area of industrial hemp.

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  Inês Queirós

  Activist

  Cannabis Revolution

  Inês Queirós is a physical education and sports teacher, currently teaching swimming and hydrotherapy. She found cannabis to be a different way of life and a great help on a personal and interpersonal level. Since 2019, she has been using cannabis in her daily life and since then has undertaken several training courses to satisfy the curiosity that the plant and the potential around it awakened. In 2023, an internal revolt emerged that led to the creation of the Cannabis Revolution movement, which aims to reactivate street demonstrations for the legalization of Cannabis throughout the national territory.

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  Joana Farinha

  Agricultural Engineer

  Cannapro

  Graduated in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Engineering from the Polytechnic of Castelo Branco and attended the Masters in Auditing and Finance at the Escola Superior De Gestão de Tomar. Extensive professional experience: At the beginning of my career I was dedicated to managing an agricultural company focused on the production of cereals (irrigated corn) and vegetables in the Ribatejo region. For 5 years I was Responsible Technician for the Agricultural Counter, Management and coordination of the Purchasing Department, promoting innovation strategies and optimization of processes and costs. I provide technical advice to clients, carrying out fertilization plans and applying phytopharmaceuticals in the Beira Baixa region, where the predominant crops were olive groves, vineyards, and fruit trees. I prepare SOP and GACP related to preparation and substances based on the cannabis plant for medicinal purposes, project development, Industrial Licensing.

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  João Carvalho

  Director

  Cannadouro

  He began researching and studying hemp in Portugal, while still studying History at FLUP, these works taking shape in the co-authorship of "Breve História da Cannabis em Portugal", appendix to the 2nd edition of "O Rei vai Nú" " by Jack Herrer, (an historic pro-legalization activist) for Via Óptima in 2002. He was the organizer and spokesman of the first two cannabis legalization marches in the city of Porto, in 2007 and 2008. He always maintained the connection with Cáñamo magazine , writing over the years several articles about the situation of cannabis in Portugal. Since 2017 he has been Event Director at Cannadouro, International Hemp Fair,. At the same time, it has organized the conference cycle that takes place during the 2 days of the event. In 2019 he was a speaker at the Portugal Medical Cannabis Parallel Sessions in Lisbon, with a presentation on the “History of hemp culture in Portugal”. In 2020, he becomes Director of Cannadouro Magazine, a quarterly printed magazine with national distribution in the street kiosks network.

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  Leonardo Sousa

  Manager and Entrepreneur

  Lynx Hemp Products

  Leonardo Rodrigues Sousa is a young Portuguese entrepreneur, born in Castelo Branco, Portugal, on July 10, 1993, and founder and CEO of Lynx – Hemp Products LDA, an organic hemp-based products company, founded in 2021, which became a huge success in Portugal. With an entrepreneurial vision and leadership spirit, Leonardo guides Lynx – Hemp Products Lda. on the path to growth and success. Under his leadership and perseverance, the company quickly gained space in the hemp market in Portugal. Outside of work, Leonardo is an advocate for sustainability and the environment, using his social media to share his passion for hemp and his commitment to sustainability.

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  Margarida Leitão

  Jurist and Activist

  Ana Margarida Leitão Ferreira, 42 years old, born in Peso da Régua, activist, conflict mediator, humanist and passionate about the cannabis sativa L plant. She graduated in law in 2005, having completed the Legal Sciences course at Universidade Portucalense Infante D. Henrique, he has lived in Porto since he was 18 years old and his main objective has always been to be able to represent an added value as an agent at the service of others and the community in particular, is always fighting for Human Rights! Lawyer in exclusive practice of the profession from 2005 to 2015 graduated from Universidade Portucalense Infante D. Henrique with registration with the Bar Association in force since 2007. Graduated in conflict mediation in 2019 from IMAP Instituto de Mediação e Arbitragem de Portugal. His interest in the subject of cannabis arises from his passion for the plant that has been developing since the moment she felt its benefits as a consumer and now with all the benefits we know and recognize given the most recent studies blocked by decades of obscurantism coming from prohibitionism, positioning herself as a defender of the legalization of cannabis, arguing that refusing access to it is an undeniable violation of Human Rights!

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  Margarita Cardoso de Meneses

  Cannareporter and Cannadouro Magazine

  MODERATOR

  Journalist since the 90s and a cannabis activist since the 2000s, Margarita began writing about cannabis issues as a journalist for the first editions of the Portuguese magazine “Cânhamo”, having also collaborated with the Spanish mother magazine, as well as “A Folha”. and other publications in the area.
  Nowadays she is a researcher, is writing a book about the plant that will be released soon, and is a regular contributor to Cannareporter and Cannadouro Magazine.

• Marta Borges

  Agricultural Engineer

  DGAV, General Service of Food and Veterinary
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  Mattia Cusani

  General Secretary

  Canapa Sativa Italia

  Mattia Cusani, businessman and law graduate, has contributed to the growth of the hemp sector in Italy since 2014 as founder of the Canapa Sativa Italia Association (CSI), now central in the dialogue with the Ministry of Agriculture. The CSI Association represents the entire hemp supply chain, from the geneticist to the retailer, with the aim of introducing effective and bias-free European regulation. With a constructive commitment, CSI works to improve the conditions of the sector in Italy and Europe, supporting a vision of innovative and eco-sustainable agriculture for large and small productions of excellence.

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  Nuno Lima

  Activist

  Movement Mothers for Cannabis

  Nuno is a father, therapist and a human being in a constant process of growth and improvement. His path as a defender and passionate about this sacred plant, Cannabis, began 10 years ago, due to a work accident that left me with muscular dystrophy, which completely immobilized my right arm, and gave me constant pain, and for which conventional medicine had no solution. What followed was a deep depression. It was then that he began the search for alternative treatments that could help, and in this search he found the sacred Cannabis. Plant ally in my healing and recovery process, not only physical, but also emotional and mental. Based on his own experience, as well as that of his then wife, Catarina, he naturally began to help more and more people with various situations in terms of physical, mental and emotional health. He completed several training courses in medicinal cannabis, which complemented the work he was already carrying out and broadened the spectrum of action of the consultations. In these trainings I specialized in Cancer, Anxiety, Chronic Pain, Dravet Syndrome, Trauma, Autism, Epilepsy, Autoimmune Diseases, Menopause, Endometriosis and Female Sexology.

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  Paula Mota

  Lawyer

  Movement Mothers for Cannabis

  Paula Margarida Aguiar Bessa Mota, born in the city of Porto. She completed her entire academic career in this city, graduating in Law in 1999 from Universidade Lusófona. She completed her MBA in Management and Administration at Universidade Católica in 2014. She worked as a Jurist in several companies and in 2019 suspended her profession to take care of her daughter Margarida Mota Moura, who has a rare disease, Dravet Syndrome; which is why she embraced the cause of Medicinal Cannabis and founded the Mothers for Cannabis Movement on May 1, 2022, which in 2023 became the Mothers for Cannabis Association.

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  Rita Oliveira

  Consultant

  Cannapro

  Passionate about living and complex systems, I have dedicated the last 14 years to organic and sustainable agriculture, exploring different techniques that respect and nourish soils and plants.
  Since 2017, I have dedicated special attention to the research and production of industrial hemp.
  Over the last two years I have participated in several conferences, as a speaker, with the aim of disseminating, clarifying and promoting the benefits of this plant.
  In my relationship with the various national bodies, as a hemp producer, I have sought to build bridges of dialogue with a view to streamlining administrative and legal processes.
  Along the way, the provision of consultancy services has naturally emerged as a very rewarding area of work, constituting a privileged relationship space for the correct organization and management of processes and production.

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  Sebastien Béguerie

  Biologist

  Kanavape

   

  Sébastien Béguerie, originated from Marseille, France, he did his MSc.degree in Plant Sciences, sponsored by Bedrocan BV to study at Wageningen University Research (WUR), in the Netherlands where he obtained his qualification. In 2009, he co-founded the first national medical Cannabis French patient association called " l' Union Francophone pour les Cannabinoids en Médecine” (UFCM). Together with his association, he has been organizing in Strasbourg (France) for 8 years in a row an international medical Cannabis conference in France. In 2011 he founded his brand Alpha-cat in Europe, manufacturing and providing cannabinoid test kit and CBD products, distributed worldwide from USA, Canada, Latin America, Jamaica, Australia, up to Japan. He became in 2015 a board member of the International Association for Cannabinoid in Medicine (IACM). In this new emerging Cannabis industry, Sebastien is one of the European expert leader in medical cannabis and CBD industry with now more than 10 years of experience in cannabis production, regulation, education and advocacy. In 2015 Sébastien has created and launch the famous Kanavape in Europe to be the first CBD -cigarette to be sell in Europe. And in 2020 Sebastien started Golden Buds a new CBD brand mixing the Californian experience of CBD innovating product combining with the French luxury know how to bring to the EU market unique and premium CBD products