CALIFORNIA – The California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) is soliciting proposals for research projects that advance public understanding of cannabis and its legalization. DCC will fund up to $20 million in cannabis-related academic research by California public universities and is prioritizing topics that will be instrumental in addressing gaps in scientific knowledge and guiding future policy decisions.
For the first time, DCC has identified specific research topics that will be prioritized for grant funding of topics which will advance understanding of cannabis, address existing research gaps, and inform policymakers. The prioritized topics examine cannabis potency and health impacts, the health of California’s cannabis industry, monopolies and unfair competition, legacy cannabis genetics, and medicinal use of cannabis.
Researchers will be required to make research findings available to the public, at no cost, in order to promote more rapid enhancement of scientific understanding of topics researched.
Read the complete list of priority research topics, the Request for Proposals and more information about the grant funding opportunity on the DCC website.
“California continues to direct millions of dollars to accelerate scientific understanding of cannabis and evaluate the impacts of legalization. Decades of federal cannabis prohibition has hindered our collective knowledge related to these issues, to the detriment of consumers, communities, our environment and more,” said Nicole Elliott, DCC Director. “Our hope is that research resulting from these grants proves beneficial not only to California policymakers but also to those across the nation and world.”
The priority research topics were developed in consultation with other California state agencies that oversee cannabis activities and were selected to inform future policymaking and better preserve California’s historical information.
Although grant funding is not limited to the identified topics, their prioritization provides additional direction to prospective grantees eager to help state cannabis leaders close gaps in research. The resulting research and data would continue to inform and support the creation of a safe, sustainable, and equitable cannabis market that protects people, safeguards the environment, and provides adult access to safe, tested products.
DCC’s academic research grants are funded by cannabis taxes enacted by Proposition 64 (2016), which legalized adult-use cannabis, decriminalized personal possession of cannabis and began to redress harms of cannabis prohibition on individuals and communities. This $20 million grant opportunity builds on the $30 million in research grants previously awarded to California academic universities in 2020. Learn more about previously-funded projects: https://cannabis.ca.gov/about-us/scientific-research/.
Grant proposals will be accepted from November 1 until November 30, 2022. Awarded research projects will be announced in early February 2023.
