DR. BARTON HERSHFIELD, MD
Dr. Barton Hershfield, MD, Medical Cannabis Physicians of SWFL
Bio:
After graduating from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Dr. Hershfield completed a residency there in Family Medicine, becoming board certified and recertifying 7 years later. However, he chose to practice Emergency Medicine, which he did for 25 years, in which he also became board certified, and recertified for 30 years. He subsequently worked as a cruise ship physician for 5 years, and then another 7 years practicing urgent care and medical pain management. After seeing the profound benefit that close relatives with severe chronic pain and PTSD obtained from medical cannabis, Dr. Hershfield opened a solo cannabinoid medicine practice, where he has been practicing since 2019. Like other members of the Florida Medical Cannabis Physicians Group of which he is an active member, he shares the core values of making the best possible cannabinoid medicine recommendations and of educating patients, and also shares their mission of trying to improve the medical cannabis climate in Florida through legislative and administrative advocacy.
WILLIAM TROUTT, NMD
Dr. William Troutt, NMD, Lead Medical Director, Trulieve
Bio:
Dr. Troutt is an Arizona and Maryland licensed naturopathic doctor with over three decades experience studying and advocating for cannabis-based medicine. Dr. Troutt graduated magna cum laude from Arizona State University in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. In 2003, he graduated from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine specializing in botanical and natural medicines.
Since 2010, Dr. Troutt has worked exclusively in the cannabis industry. In that time, he has consulted with thousands of medical cannabis patients, top physicians, researchers, public servants, and industry leaders—sharing his extensive practical experience in safe and effective cannabis use. He has created educational materials and protocols for employees, customers, patients, and their caregivers in more than ten State Regulated Medical Cannabis Programs.
Eugene (Gene) Jones
Eugene (Gene) Jones, Executive Director, Can-Ed, Inc.
Bio:
Gene Jones serves as CEO of Southern Waste Information Exchange (SWIX), a non-profit organization which has been operating since 1981 assisting businesses and municipalities with their waste management issues.
In addition, to his day-to-day roll at SWIX, Gene conducts a variety of conferences in the environmental industry sectors. He also formed the Florida Medical Cannabis Conference & Exhibition and the Florida Industrial Hemp Conference & Exhibition.
Gene is a serial entrepreneur and brings over 40 years of experience with waste management and recycling in senior executive level positions. Gene has successfully founded, built and sold several businesses including Environmental Management & Consulting Services, Inc., Advanced Derived Fuels, LLC, Hazardous Substance and Waste Management Research, Inc., Environmental Industry Conference Management, LLC, FieldClean of Florida, LLC, Lawncare Equipment Sales and Services, LLC, Environmental University, and his latest venture, Florida Industrial Hemp Company, LLC.
Gene is based in Florida and specializes in building strategic relationships with firms and has managed a vast network of associations in many different sectors from his work in organizing conferences such as;
Conferences:
• the Agricultural Plastics Recycling Conference & Trade Show,
• the Waste Conversion Technology Conference & Trade Show,
• the Southeast Recycling Conference & Trade Show,
• the New Life for Closed Gas Stations Conference and Exhibition,
• the International Symposium on the Redevelopment of Manufactured Gas Plant Sites,
• the National Conference on Waste Exchange and Resource Reuse,
• PFAS Forum
• the Florida Industrial Hemp Conference & Exhibition, and
• the Florida Medical Cannabis Conference & Exhibition.
Associations/Organizations:
• Florida BioFuels & BioEnergy Association, Inc.,
• Recycle Florida Today, Inc.,
• Can-Ed, Inc.,
• Florida Agricultural Plastic Recycling Cooperative, Inc.,
• Florida Environmental Assessors Association, Inc.,
• International Society of Technical & Environmental Professionals, Inc.,
• Florida Brownfields Association, Inc., and
• Keep Florida Beautiful, Inc.
Gene is a Martial Arts practitioner and has his 8th degree black belt in Shaolin GoJu and a 5th degree black belt in Nisei GoJu. Gene is also the Author of Instant Self-Esteem: Empowering Self-Confidence and The Mindful Sensei.
Gene is also the inventor of the Soap Bag Saver, which he designed for the reuse of leftover soap bars.
DR. BARRY GORDON, MD
Dr. Barry Gordon, MD, President & Chief Medical Officer, Compassionate Cannabis Clinic of Venice
Bio:
For more than three decades, Barry Gordon M.D. built a career working on the front lines of the American health care system.
After years of seeing the same faces and resurrecting the same addicts daily in Ohio emergency rooms, he thought there had to be a better way.
Today, Florida is just one of 30 states that recognize the medicinal value of marijuana for the relief of symptoms associated everything from neurological illness to chemotherapy.
Dr. Barry, as he is affectionately known, is at the forefront of the medical cannabis movement.
A 1981 graduate of the Ohio State University College of Medicine and a founding fellow of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine, Gordon said it wasn’t until decades into his medical career that he even began hearing the words “endocannabinoid system.”
“It was my career in emergency medicine that drove me to find an alternative for my patients and research cannabis more,” Dr. Barry explained. “I like to think of my background as a bit of a social scientist. I’ve seen the dangers of alcohol and tobacco. I like to tell my patients that you can’t even compare the intoxication effects of alcohol to cannabis.”
Opportunity came knocking when Dr. Barry took an early retirement from Alliance Community Hospital in 2015 and relocated to Florida with his wife Patty. He created Florida Vacation Telehealth P.A., which eventually gave birth to the Compassionate Cannabis Clinic.
No longer tethered to a large healthcare organization, Dr. Gordon made the decision upon overwhelming passage of the Florida Medical Marijuana Legalization Amendment on November 8, 2016, to begin seeing and treating patients with chronic illnesses using cannabis therapy.
“Just as the overwhelming majority of voters in Florida demonstrated their belief in the many benefits of cannabis therapy, I, as a healthcare professional, am deeply committed to providing patients with an option to compassionately ease their suffering,” says Dr. Barry.
“My practical experience coupled with my own scientific research has enabled me to offer a unique approach in care to my patients. I feel a responsibility in both providing the appropriate education and allowing my patients to live a better quality of life without the harmful effects of conventional pharmaceutical prescriptions,” he added.
Dr. Barry has utilized his undergraduate degree in communications from The Ohio State University to advocate for patients before becoming the owner of the largest medical marijuana practice in Florida. He provides an unique voice and an ability to break down complex medical terminology, whether answering common medical questions or facilitating discussions on complicated ailments.
“For a number of years, I saved lives with paddles in emergency rooms. Now I am looking beyond conventional medicine for answers,” Dr. Barry explained. “I don’t encourage people who have success with conventional medicine to change their strategy; however, alternative medical options, like medicinal cannabis, need to be available for those who want and need it for relief.”
A rabid Cleveland sports fanatic, Dr. Barry will entertain almost any discussion about football, basketball, and his ultimate love – baseball. He spends his free time fishing and on the water.
Gordon, his wife Patty and dog, Tiva reside in Venice, Florida.
Dr. Maury A. Jayson, MD, FACS, CPI
Dr. Maury A. Jayson, MD, FACS, CPI, Owner, Marijuana Medical Docs
Bio:
Dr. Maury Jayson is a Urologist from Pembroke Pines and has been a Recommending physician since the inception of the Florida Medical Marijuana program. He has an active cannabis practice and has been an active participant in virtually all of the FMCCE conferences.
Dr. Jayson received his bachelors degree from Tufts University, in Boston, his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and he completed his urology training at Yale University in New Haven Connecticut.
When Dr Jayson is not working…. He is a certified Barbecue judge with both the prestigious Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) and the Florida BBQ Association (FBA). He belongs to several food and wine groups and also helps run the Ft. Lauderdale Whiskey Society. He is also a radio show host with Sips, Suds and Smokes, a radio show on National Public Radio that is also available as an online podcast, with a weekly audience of over 4 Million listeners. The show focuses on tasting and discussing Food, Beer, Whiskey, Wine and all the other good things in life. He is also active with several Whiskey groups.
GP Mendie
GP Mendie, Assistant Vice President for Research (Interim)/Executive Director, Medical Marijuana Education and Research Initiative (MMERI), Florida A&M University
Bio:
GP Mendie – is the Assistant Vice President for Research (Interim) and MMERI’s Executive Director at Florida A&M University
In this leadership role, GP collaborates with an incredibly talented broad spectrum of internal and external stakeholders, partners, and teams to successfully execute and achieve desired short and long-term strategic goals and outcomes.
GP is honored to oversee MMERI’s highly critical mission of educating Florida’s rural, urban, and suburban populations about the medical and unlawful use of marijuana. In addition to MMERI, GP is responsible for the finance and operations of the FAMU Research Foundation apparatus and operational infrastructure. This includes but is not limited to, directing the growth of collaborative partnerships, securing and growing sustainable funding sources (such as private-public partnerships) for the Research Foundation operations and supporting the University’s expanding innovative research enterprises and undertakings, patent development, to benefit students, faculty, staff, the community and state of Florida at large.
In implementing these executive leadership responsibilities, GP leverages an extensive and richly diverse decades of government and private sector experience and interests in Finance and Operations; Health Outcomes; Public Education Campaigns; Pharmacoepidemiology; Pharmacovigilance; Pharmacoeconomics, Markets, Monetary and Fiscal Policies, Strategic Planning & Development; Implementation and Logistics; Technology Systems Applications, Design and Utilization; Public-Private Partnerships and Economic Mobility.
Knowing the immense power and importance of education, GP is proud of the growing leadership role Florida A&M University holds in the research and cannabis education space, especially the privilege of educating Floridians on this crucial public health matter that continues to have a profound socioeconomic impact on our communities, state, and nation. GP believes in FAMU’s unique place and expertise in overseeing, implementing, and managing politically and culturally sensitive programs.
Jennifer Makris
Jennifer Makris, MBA, President, Cannabis Cash Advisors
Bio:
Jennifer brings over twenty years of experience in sales, transportation and logistics, and consulting. Over the last decade, she has specialized in secure cash management solutions for banks, credit unions, traditional retail, and high-risk industries.
She has built a network that supports each touchpoint in the cannabis cash ecosystem; banking, transportation, automation, technology, training, and more. Cannabis Cash Consultants educates customers on the importance of optimizing the cash life cycle, creating FOH and BOH efficiency that drive security and profitability.