2024Bilbao

Dr Fernando Caudevilla has been a contributor to our magazine for more than fifteen years. Under the nickname DoctorX, he has carried out most of his work as an online drugs adviser. The writers Jose Angel Mañas and Jordi Ledesma have turned his adventures into the novel DoctorX: El Médico de la Dark Net (La Esfera de los Libros, 2024). A story of drug markets, bitcoins, unbridled sex, electronic music and secret agents in which truth is stranger than fiction.

We will explore the latest trends and sustainable developments in the cannabis industry, ranging from new technologies to the latest master's degree, “Cannabis Science and Policy” (Ciencias y Políticas del Cannabis), offered by the Cannabis HUB and the University of Barcelona.

This talk will discuss the history of the use of cannabis in animals in different regions of the world, and why it works as a medicine. It will also cover general aspects of the endocannabinoid system in animals, methods of administration and the conditions in everyday clinical practice for which medicinal cannabis is most often used, as well as our experience of using cannabis in companion animals.

Euskadi is undoubtedly one of the territories of the Spanish State where cannabis culture is most deeply rooted and normalised. At the political level, various initiatives have been developed for more than a decade concerning the regulation of Cannabis Users' Associations (Asociaciones de Personas Usuarias de Cannabis), although much remains to be done. In this interview we will analyse the progress made over these years and the current expectations of providing legal backing and greater legal certainty for these organisations.

Writing and reporting on cannabis from a newsroom is not easy. Nor is getting the media to pay attention to a world that is still on the fringes of legality. We will debate with journalists how the worlds of the media and of cannabis can forge closer ties.

“From the UN to Euskadi: a new regulation focused on human rights?”
This talk will explore recent and forthcoming changes to drug legislation, ranging from the international context to the particularities of regulation in the Basque Country. The central focus of the presentation will be the analysis of the new paradigms shaping this legislation, specifically progress in human rights and strategies for risk reduction and pleasure management.

“Spanish paradox”
This talk will address the paradox of a Spanish State that is increasingly reluctant to regulate cannabis in the face of European progress in this area, with some remarks on the efforts to reform the “gag law” (ley mordaza) and other changes proposed for this legislative term.

This talk will give an overview of the medicinal properties of THC in animals. It will also cover the recommended amount of THC that can be used. In addition, we will discuss what exactly “full spectrum” medicinal oil is in veterinary medicine, whether THC can be toxic to animals, and our experience of using THC in companion animals when treating various common conditions in veterinary practice.