Board-certified Integrative Family Physician with robust experience in development, research, and clinical use of medicinal plants

Dr. Stephen M. Dahmer is a board-certified family physician whose passion for health and healing has taken him around the globe. A fellow of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, for over two decades he has studied the relationships between plants and people, working closely with diverse cultures and documenting their uses of plants and other integrative therapies. Aspiring to understand ethnomedical systems, as well as the plants and traditional beliefs that support them, Dr. Dahmer has worked in divergent settings including Umbanda terreiros in the heart of Brazil’s second largest slum, Maori clinics in New Zealand, native healers on the Palauan Islands, and as a hospitalist to the Navajo (Dine) Tribe in Chinle, Arizona.  Since 2015, Dr. Dahmer has served as Chief Medical Officer of Vireo Health, a physician-founded, patient-focused company dedicated to providing best-in-class manufacture and clinical utilization of cannabinoid-based therapies.  For Vireo Health, he oversees clinical research partnerships, pharmacovigilance, physician outreach and engagement, and over 200 employees providing education, support, awareness and a compassionate patient experience to tens of thousands of patients utilizing medical cannabis. Dr. Dahmer has given over 150 lectures on cannabinoid-related medical topics. Dr. Dahmer is Assistant Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Director of Holistic Primary Care, practicing Integrative Family Medicine in Scarsdale, New York.

Mom’s Garden Scientific Board Member



Relevant publications, including books and articles:

Dahmer, S and Balick M. Cannabis Ethnomedicine.  Levine J, ed. Understanding Medical Cannabis: Critical Issues and Perspectives for Human Service Professionals. Routledge; 2021.

Starr, G and Dahmer, S and Balick M. The Endocannabinoid System..  Levine J, ed. Understanding Medical Cannabis: Critical Issues and Perspectives for Human Service Professionals. Routledge; 2021.

8/2020 to Present: Research Project: Do Discounted Vouchers for Medical Cannabis Reduce Opioid Use in Adults With Pain (ReLeaf-V). Role: Principal Investigator

3/2018 to Present: Research Project:  MEMO-Medical Marijuana and Opioids Study. Role: Consultant. PI: Chinazo Cunningham, MD  

Zylla DM, Eklund J, Gilmore G, et al. A randomized trial of medical cannabis (MC) in patients with advanced cancer (AC) to assess impact on opioid use and cancer-related symptoms. JCO. 2019;37(31_suppl):109-109. doi:10.1200/JCO.2019.37.31_suppl.109

Dahmer, S. When Used Correctly, Medical Cannabis Is Compassionate, Not a Conundrum. Pain Medicine News. February 2017.

Dahmer, S. Transitions. Family Doctor, A Journal of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians. Winter 2016

Dahmer, S., Kligler, B. Chapter 14 – HIV Disease. Rakel: Integrative Medicine, 4th., Copyright 2003 Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier. (17-4-2012) 

Dahmer, S. MD. How far do you go for Patient-Centered Care? Costs of Care Blog Post. July 7, 2014

D’Silva, S.; Dahmer, S. ; et al. “Mind-Body Medicine Therapies for the Depression Spectrum: A Systematic Review”, Psychosomatics, 2012 Sep-Oct;53(5):407-23

Dahmer, S. MD, et al. PALAU PRIMARY HEALTH CARE MANUAL: Health Care in Palau, Micronesia: Traditional Uses of Plants for Health and Healing. CreateSpace (07-2012)

Dahmer, S. et al. INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE APPROACH TO CHRONIC PAIN. CULTURE, BRAIN AND ANALGESIA: Understanding and Managing Pain in Diverse Populations. Oxford University Press (12/2012)

Kligler, B., Dahmer, S. Chapter 14 – HIV Disease. Rakel: Integrative Medicine, 3rd., Copyright 2003 Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier. (17-4-2012)

Teets, R. MD,et al. Integrative Medicine Approach to Chronic Pain. Prim Care Clin Office Pract 37(2):407-21. (2010)

Lee, R. MD, et al. POHNPEI PRIMARY HEALTH CARE MANUAL: Health Care in Pohnpei, Micronesia: Traditional Uses of Plants for Health and Healing. CreateSpace (9/10)

Cook, D and Dahmer, S.  What Brazilians Can Teach Us About Relaxation. Huffington Post. Posted: 09/08/10 10:00 AM ET

Dahmer, S, Scott, E. Hawthorne. Complementary/Alternative Medicine Series Template.  Am Fam Physician. 2010 Feb 15;81(4):465-468.

Schiller, R., Dahmer, S. Glucosamine.  Complementary/Alternative Medicine Series Template.  American Family Physician.  August 15, 2008 Vol. 78 No. 4

Dahmer, S. Ask the Experts: Integrative Medicine in Underserved Populations. EXPLORE: The Journal of Science and Healing, Volume 3, Issue 5, September 2007, Page 546

Kligler, B., Dahmer, S. Chapter 14 – HIV Disease.  Rakel: Integrative Medicine, 2nd ed., Copyright 2003 Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier. (9/06)

Dahmer, S. AIDS and AXE. MEDLENNIUM Literary Journal. Spring 2003. Medlennium/BFree Publications. Tampa, FL. (3/03


List of lectures:

2/23/21: SOFI – Reflections on practising plant medicine from around the globe

11/16/2020: Chronic Pain: Medical Cannabis Clinical Application + Research

10/15/2020: Benzinga Conference – https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/vireo-health-announces-participation-at-benzinga-cannabis-capital-conference-2020-10

4/2020: Minnesota Orthopedic Society Annual Meeting

10/2018: Cannabis, Opioids and Pain – SUNY Purchase

1/2018: Grand Rounds Lecturer – Medical Cannabis – Interprofessional Program in Integrative Healthcare – Beth Israel Department of Family Medicine

2017: TecBridge Keynote: Cannabinoid Based Medicines Role in the Treatment of Chronic Pain: Harm Reduction Evidence-Based Compassionate Care

4/2017: Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Friday Forum – Guest Lecturer: Medical Cannabis. Albany, NY

1/2017: Grand Rounds Lecture – Medical Cannabis – Interprofessional Program in Integrative Healthcare – Beth Israel Department OF Family Medicine

1/2017 to Present: New York Botanical Garden Adults Education Series – Guest Lecturer: Medical Cannabis. New York, NY

1/2017: Schoharie County Medical Society – Guest Lecturer Medical Cannabis. Schoharie, NY

10/2016: Medical Societies of Broome, Delaware, Otsego, & Tompkins Counties – Guest Lecturer: Medical Cannabis.  Oneonta, NY

10/2016: New York State Pain Society Annual Meeting – Presenter Medical Cannabis – Rochester, NY:

9/2016: Mayo Clinic Internal Medicine Review for Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, and Primary Care Physicians NPPA 2016 – Guest Speaker: Medical Cannabis

6/2015: Presenter for 47th annual Addictions Institute, NASW-NYC: From Motivational Interviewing to Maintenance:  The Case for Behavioral Health Integration in Primary Care

6/2015: Guest Lecturer New York Botanical Garden Adults Education Series: Wellness Saturday: Intro to Integrative Medicine – 152WEL116A

4/2015: Presenter for National Association of Social Workers NYC Conference: Behavioral health integration: The Iora Health model and the Freelancers Medical Home

3/2015:  Guest Lecturer for The Human Impacts Institute: Health Impacts of Toxins in the Home and Workplace

11/2014: Presenter for Beth Israel Family Practice Residency: A Road Less Traveled

11/2012:  Grand Rounds – Presenter for Continuing Medical Education and the Palau Primary Health Care Manual, Koror, Palau

8/2012:  Today’s Women’s Empowerment Seminar – Speaker – Medical Health Panel and Holistic Panel.

8/2010:  Physician Advisor for Brigitte and Bobby Sherman Foundation

9/2010:  Key Note at Beth Israel’s Latino Health Institute (LHI) Health Wise Seminar Series. Botanical Medicine. Folk Medicine.

7/24/2009:  Presenter at Urban Zen Integrative Therapy Program – Integrative Pain Management

8/15/2007:  Grand Rounds – Belau National Hospital: Integrative Medicine


Any educational videos that you could share

Episode 19: An Integrative Doctor and his story with cannabis patients: Dr. Stephen Dahmer

Studying the Relationship Between Plant Medicine & People – Dr. Steve Dahmer of Vireo Health

Also – https://trichomes.com/tcsearch/view/Studying-Relationships-Between-Plant-Medicine—People—Hash-it-Out-w-Dr-Stepehn-Dahmer-of-Vireo

RSDSA – Medical Cannabis: Safety, Efficacy and Cost – Stephen Dahmer, MD

Marty Wolff – Business Building Show – Medical Cannabis – C-Suite TV

Aging and Cannabis Conference – https://conaelderlaw.com/aging-and-cannabis/

June 14, 2018 at the Minnesota Cannabis Summit in St. Paul


Books: (with links to Amazon)