California officials have awarded nearly $30 million in new grants to support marijuana-focused academic research, expanding a state-funded effort to better understand cannabis use, regulation and its broader social and environmental impacts.
The latest awards, announced Monday by the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC), will fund a wide range of studies examining issues such as cannabis consumption among older adults, the effects of THC-infused beverages, the therapeutic potential of novel cannabinoids, the role of terpenes in product flavoring, tribal participation in the legal market and the environmental consequences of marijuana licensing programs.
The funding represents the third round of grants issued through the program, which is financed by state marijuana tax revenue. With this round, total distributions now approach $80 million.
According to DCC, the department received 149 research proposals and prioritized projects that demonstrated strong scientific rigor and the potential to improve public health, consumer safety and policymaking. Targeted research areas included education and prevention strategies, crop yields, consumer preferences, state and local cannabis policies, environmental sustainability and market dynamics.
“All research findings will be made available at no cost to the public to support broad access to rigorous, science-backed research while contributing to the national understanding of cannabis,” the department said in a press release.
Among the funded projects are several studies led by University of California campuses. UC San Diego researchers will examine how older adults choose cannabis products, focusing on factors such as potency, price and perceived safety, while a separate UC San Diego project will analyze how price changes and tax rates influence cannabis sales across more than 20 states.
UC San Francisco received funding for two major initiatives, including a clinical pharmacology study of commercially available THC-infused beverages and a project investigating how specific cannabinoids affect brain development, neuroinflammation and therapeutic pathways. UC Los Angeles researchers will study the synthesis and safety of novel cannabinoids, as well as naturally occurring flavor compounds to help regulators distinguish plant-derived terpenes from prohibited additives.
Other awards include UC Davis research into partnerships between the state and tribal cannabis markets, UC Berkeley studies on crop yields and environmental outcomes tied to licensure, and a San Diego State University occupational health study assessing pesticide and allergen exposure among cannabis workers.
Earlier grant rounds have examined topics such as delta-8 THC, legacy cannabis genetics and market competition. Separately, the state recently awarded more than $52 million in community reinvestment grants aimed at addressing the lasting impacts of marijuana prohibition.
Together, the programs reflect California’s continued effort to use cannabis tax revenue to support research, repair harms and strengthen a regulated legal market.
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