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Scientific research

Scientific research

Cannabis is a Schedule I drug, which means there are strict rules for studying it in the United States. As a result, we do not know as much as we would like about cannabis’s effects on the body.

Some of the revenue collected from cannabis taxes funds grants. This helps expand our knowledge about cannabis.

Research funded by California

The Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) funds scientific research to study the effects of adult-use cannabis legalization. This includes research about:

  • Public health
  • Criminal justice and public safety
  • Economic impacts
  • Environmental impacts
  • Cannabis industry

Find out how to apply for cannabis research grants.

What we’re studying

2020

DCC awarded nearly $30 million in research grants in 2020.

Public universityFunding awardedResearch focus
UC San Francisco$2,000,000Comprehensive analysis of developmental cannabis exposure on brain, immune, and sensory systems
UC Santa Barbara$1,999,191Surface water emissions from cannabis cultivation sites: quantity, quality, toxicity and relationships to farmers’ practices
CSU Dominguez Hills$1,866,311Cannabis industry in South Bay Los Angeles
UC Berkeley$1,827,596Local regulation of cannabis in California
UC Los Angeles$1,429,001Impact of cannabis potency on the properties, composition and toxicity of inhaled and second-hand smoke
UC San Francisco$1,384,466Effects of chronic cannabis use on endothelial function
UC Irvine$1,351,556Exploring cannabis policies and practices that influence adolescent use: evolution of local cannabis law, products, sales, and marketing
UC San Diego$1,321,833The public health impact of cannabis legalization in California: a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analysis by age, gender, race/ethnicity and regions
UC Los Angeles$1,082,815Assessing the feasibility and consequences of implementing a cannabis potency tax in California
UC San Francisco$1,067,483The LEAF Study: lung effects and function associated with cannabis use
UC Los Angeles$1,048,857Study of employment conditions and equity in California’s cannabis industry
UC San Francisco$1,038,782Public health impacts of state policies mandating point-of-sale warning signs regarding cannabis use during pregnancy
UC Davis$1,034,730Understanding the impact of cannabis use in early psychosis
UC San Diego$987,738Evaluating the impacts of packaging and labeling on cannabis edible use among youth
UC San Francisco$952,540California cannabis poisonings under Proposition 64
UC Los Angeles$896,794Assessing the impact of Proposition 64 on cannabis use, maladaptive cannabis use, cannabis use disorder treatment and public health
UC San Diego$887,101The role of cannabidiol in anandamide-related improvement in alexithymia and health outcomes
UC Los Angeles$781,707A demographic analysis of the California licensed cannabis industry and consumer market
UC Los Angeles$758,517The impact of cannabis marketing on California’s youth: neuro-behavioral studies for informing policy
UC Davis$726,816Cannabis industry: assessment of the location, structure, function and demographics of licensed cannabis, focusing on geographical price differences and differential impacts of local Proposition 64 related regulations on the competitiveness of licensed businesses
UC Berkeley$658,306Transformation of unregulated cannabis cultivation under Proposition 64
UC Davis$655,564Economic impacts: market prices for licensed and unlicensed cannabis and the effects of the current and alternate cannabis tax structures and tax rates on the private and public sectors in California, including government administrative costs and revenues
UC Davis$562,240Environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation in California as affected by the farm economics of licensed and unlicensed cannabis production, including effects of testing regulations and compliance with the criminal prohibition of unlicensed cannabis
UC Berkeley$489,762Assessing environmental impacts of cannabis-related noise and light disturbance to inform management of California wildlife
UC Berkeley$465,902Examining tribal sovereignty over cannabis permitting on native ancestral lands
CSU Humboldt$464,997Cannabis business entrepreneurs and jobs
UC Los Angeles$414,183Understanding the impact of cannabis marketing on cannabis use disparities among sexual and gender minority youth
UC Berkeley$328,916Cultivation bans, local control and the effects and efficacy of Proposition 64
UC Berkeley$319,091Cannabis and wildfire: current conditions, future threats and solutions for farmers
UC Berkeley$314,417Cannabis water-use impacts to streamflow and temperature in salmon-bearing streams
UC Berkeley$270,269The effect of local cannabis regulation on property prices
UC San Diego$235,039Evaluating risks and benefits of cannabis use by older adults: a pilot study
CSU Humboldt$183,015The economic impact of cannabis legalization in rural northern California
UC Davis$144,949California cannabis workers: perceptions, beliefs and knowledge of occupational health and industry hazards