This R13 application is being submitted by the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS), a not-for-profit scientific professional society incorporated in the United States, for funding of travel award support for participants to attend the ICRS-sponsored annual Symposia on the Cannabinoids. Consistent with the ICRS goal of recruiting and retaining young scientists into careers in drug abuse research, these awards will be made by the ICRS Executive Committee to predoctoral and postdoctoral students and young investigators who demonstrate financial need and promising research careers. The ICRS also recognizes the need to encourage research careers by individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups. Efforts will be made to increase the pool of researchers from these populations with the use of travel awards to the ICRS Symposia. The meeting format for this international conference is that ICRS members, students and nonmembers (estimated at 100-150), present either oral or poster presentations over the course of the 3 day conference. Research topics to be covered include biochemical, physiological, pharmacological, behavioral, and therapeutic aspects of cannabinoid drugs and endogenous compounds. Annual funding of $25,000 is requested for a total of five years of support for this international conference ($125,000). In the first year of requested support, the ICRS 2000 Symposium on the Cannabinoids will be a 3-day conference to be held at Hunt Valley Inn in Baltimore, MD, June 22-24, 2000. Subsequent years are being planned with the following venue: June, 2001 in Madrid, Spain; July, 2002 in San Francisco, CA; June, 2003 in east coast US; June, 2004 in Sorrento, Italy. Funding (80%) is requested to provide travel, the room and board package and registration fees for United States citizens and permanent residents to participate in the annual Symposium on the Cannabinoids. Additional support (20%) is requested for conference abstract publication, supplies, audiovisual equipment rental and operation, and communications. Appropriate representation of women has been assured in all aspects of planning, organization and implementation of the annual conferences.
