Academic research - Department of Cannabis Control

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

If you require an ADA compliant version of any of the reports, please send a request to outreach@cannabis.ca.gov.

Year	Status	University Name	Funding Awarded	Topics:	Summary:
2023	In progress	Cal Poly, Humboldt	$2,699,178	Cannabis Genetics, Preservation, Policy, Policy Evaluation	Identifying, documenting, and preserving California’s rural legacy cannabis genetics, exploring the impacts of criminalization and policies on legacy genetics while providing policy recommendations for preserving the culture and genetic diversity of legacy cannabis.
2023	In progress	Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo	$444,643	Regulation, Supply Chain	Analyzing local cannabis regulations in California, including investigating potential unfair competition, estimating market power through industry interviews and data, and exploring state policies to address non-competitive effects of market concentration.
2020	In progress	CSU Dominguez Hills	$1,866,311	Impacts of Legalization, Equity, Policy Evaluation, Economic Analysis, Criminal Justice	Assessing the impact of Proposition 64 on the South Bay region of Los Angeles, including economic and criminal justice factors.
2020	Complete	CSU Humboldt	$183,015	Supply Chain, Workplace Safety, Economic Analysis, Taxes, Impacts of Legalization, Policy Evaluation, Local Control	Examining the economic impact of the cannabis industry in Del Norte, Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino, and Sonoma counties. Economic Impacts of the Cannabis Industry Northern California Counties
2020	Complete	CSU Humboldt	$464,997	Entrepreneur, Equity	Identifying success factors for cannabis entrepreneurs in California, including tools for evaluating and promoting legal, safe, and equitable innovation. Financial Management in the Cannabis Industry
2023	In progress	UC Berkeley	$630,130	Cultivation, Medicinal Cannabis, Criminal Justice	Investigating Hmong cannabis farmers in California, including exploring their medicinal cannabis uses, cultivation practices, migrations, interactions with the criminal justice system, and capital and labor dynamics on cannabis farms.
2023	In progress	UC Berkeley	$1,042,321	Unlicensed Cultivation, Cultivation, Policy Evaluation, Environmental Impact, Local Control	Assessing the dynamics of unlicensed cannabis production, the size of the unlicensed market and identifying correlated policies, and evaluating the effectiveness of cultivation bans or permits in preventing environmental harm.
2023	In progress	UC Berkeley	$855,434	Anticompetitive Practices, Ethnography, Economic Analysis	Examining unfair practices in California’s cannabis industry, looking at how investors impact small and equity businesses, studying investment patterns, and suggesting policies to prevent unfair behaviors.
2020	Complete	UC Berkeley	$314,417	Environmental Impact, Water Management, Sustainability, Aquatic Species, Water Use	Assessing cannabis water-use impacts to streamflow, water temperature, and habitat quality for aquatic species like salmon. Assessing streamflow depletion from agricultural groundwater use in headwater catchments using storage-discharge functions
2020	Complete	UC Berkeley	$328,916	Impacts of Legalization, Environmental Impact, Cannabis Bans, Policy Development, Local Control, Economic Analysis, Law Enforcement, Public Health	Understand the reasons and effects of local cannabis bans, including their impact on law enforcement, local economies, resources, environmental health, and resident well-being. Cannabis Bans, Local Control, and the Effects and Efficacy of Proposition 64 A theory of geo-social marginalization: A case study of the licensed cannabis industry in California
2020	Complete	UC Berkeley	$270,269	Impacts of Legalization, Property Prices, Economic Analysis, Policy Evaluation, Local Control	Assessing the impact of local cannabis regulations on property prices, tax revenue, and economic fairness across different types of communities in the state. Green Acres? Cannabis agriculture, formalization, and rural land values in Northern California
2020	Complete	UC Berkeley	$319,091	Wildfires, Climate, Cultivation	Assessing how wildfires impact California’s cannabis farms, associated risks, and ways to make cannabis farming more resilient to wildfires. Wildfire impacts and mitigation strategies among California cannabis producers Wildfire smoke exposure has significant economic impacts on California’s licensed cannabis industry
2020	In progress	UC Berkeley	$465,902	Tribal Communities, Tribal Sovereignty, Impacts of Legalization	Understanding the impact of cannabis production legalization on Tribal communities and their sovereignty over ancestral lands. Cannabis Impacts on Native Lands: On the Need for Inclusion of Native Perspectives in Extension Work
2020	Complete	UC Berkeley	$658,306	Impact of Legalization, Ethnographics, Unregulated Market	Studying the impact of cannabis legalization on California’s unregulated cannabis market. in the Emerald Triangle, Sierra Foothills, and Inland Empire. Industrializing Cannabis? Socio-Ecological Implications of Legalization and Regulation in California Transformation of Unregulated Cannabis Cultivation Under Proposition 64
2020	Complete	UC Berkeley	$489,762	Cultivation, Environmental Impact, Wildlife	Assessing the environmental impact of noise and light disturbances from legal cannabis cultivation on fish, wildlife, and their habitats in California.
2020	Complete	UC Berkeley	$1,827,596	Impacts of Legalization, Environmental Impact, Cultivation, Policy Evaluation, Unlicensed Market, Local Control	Assessing whether local government regulations on cannabis cultivation align with the objectives of Proposition 64.
2023	In progress	UC Davis	$856,881	Vaping, Public Health, Health Impacts, Cannabinoids, Cognitive Function	Studying the chemistry, toxicology, and health impacts of cannabinoids produced by cannabis vaping devices. Chemical composition of aerosols from the e-cigarette vaping of natural and synthetic cannabinoids Effects of terpenes on the emissions of aerosols and carbonyls from vaping delta-8- and delta-10-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
2020	Complete	UC Davis	$144,949	Occupational Health, Cannabis Workers, Immigrant Workers, Public Health	Investigating the occupational health hazards faced by cannabis workers, particularly immigrants, including worker perceptions, beliefs, and knowledge of health and industry hazards. California cannabis cultivation and processing workers: A qualitative analysis of physiological exposures and health effects Experiences of structural violence and wage theft among immigrant workers in the California cannabis industry Stress, Mental Health, and Coping Among Workers in the Northern California Cannabis Industry: A Qualitative Descriptive Analysis
2020	Complete	UC Davis	$1,034,730	Public Health, Therapeutic Effects, Metabolic Health, Cognitive Function, Youth Impacts, Health Impacts	Exploring the public health impact of legal cannabis use in California, including the impact of cannabis use in early psychosis.
2020	Complete	UC Davis	$562,240	Cultivation, Environmental Impact, Testing, Policy Analysis	Evaluating the environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation in California between licensed and unlicensed production, including the effects of testing regulations and compliance with criminal prohibition on unlicensed cannabis.
2020	Complete	UC Davis	$726,816	Economic Analysis, Retail Prices, Impacts of Legalization, Policy Evaluation, Local Control	Examining various economic impacts of cannabis in California, including the competitiveness of licensed businesses, regional differences in retail prices, and the effects of local regulatory and demographic factors on the cannabis market.
2020	Complete	UC Davis	$655,564	Taxes, Potency, Retail Prices, Economic Analysis, Policy Evaluation	Analyzing retail market prices for licensed and unlicensed cannabis in California, including the effects of current and alternative tax structures, on administrative costs, revenues, retail prices, and the overall viability of the legal cannabis market in California.
2023	In progress	UC Irvine	$2,000,000	Potency, THC, Health Effects	Analyzing the effects of high-potency cannabis, focusing on THC, in both humans and laboratory rodents, and addressing absorption, distribution, metabolism, mood, cognition, and potential long-term health effects.
2020	Complete	UC Irvine	$1,351,556	Adolescent Use, Economic Analysis, Youth Impacts, Impacts of Legalization, Public Health, Policy Evaluation	Investigating how local cannabis policies impact adolescent cannabis use across California and assessing the effectiveness of current laws in preventing underage access to cannabis marketing. Age-Gating and Marketing Differences Between Storefront and Non-Storefront Cannabis Retailers Cannabis Vape Product Sales in California Following CDC’s Initial Advisory About Lung Injuries Young adult retail purchases of cannabis, product category preferences and sales trends in California 2018-21: Differences compared with older adults
2020	In progress	UC Los Angeles	$1,429,001	Impacts of Legalization, Cannabinoids, Potency, Smoking Effects, Public Health	Exploring the impact of high-potency cannabis on human and animal health
2020	In progress	UC Los Angeles	$781,707	Impacts of Legalization, Public Health, Policy Evaluation, Socioeconomics	Assessing the impact of the Proposition 64 on racial, gender, and socioeconomic disparities related to cannabis policies, licensing, and consumption. Cannabis in Crisis: Results from the California Cannabis Count Study
2020	In progress	UC Los Angeles	$758,517	Youth Impacts, Policy Evaluation, Impacts of Legalization, Public Health, Advertising	Assessing the impact of cannabis marketing on California’s youth. Characteristics and effects of cannabis advertisements with appeal to youth in California
2020	Complete	UC Los Angeles	$414,183	Advertising, Youth Impacts, Impacts of Legalization	Assessing cannabis use rates among sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth, and whether said youth are differently exposed to pro-cannabis marketing. Changes in sexual identity and substance use during young adulthood Prevalence of Nicotine and Tobacco Product Use by Sexual Identity, Gender Identity, and Sex Assigned at Birth Among Emerging Adult Tobacco Users in California, United States Sociodemographic differences in young adults’ recall of tobacco and cannabis marketing online and in television/film
2020	In progress	UC Los Angeles	$1,082,815	Potency, Taxes, Policy Evaluation	Accessing the feasibility and consequences of implementing a cannabis potency tax in California.
2020	Complete	UC Los Angeles	$896,794	Public Health, Health Impacts, Impacts of Legalization, Youth Impacts, Substance Abuse	Studying the affect of legalization on cannabis use rates, maladaptive use rates for adults and youth, and the rate of diagnosis of cannabis-related substance abuse disorders. Adult use cannabis legalization and cannabis use disorder treatment in California, 2010-2021
2020	In progress	UC Los Angeles	$1,048,857	Occupational Health, Cannabis Workers, Public Health, Equity	Assessing employment conditions and equity in California’s cannabis industry, including worker safety, career trajectory, and economic outcomes. High Stakes: The State of the California Cannabis Workforce
2023	In progress	UC San Diego	$676,735	Cannabinoid Effects, Young Adults, THC, CBD, Potency	Measuring cannabis potency and its impoacts on cognitive, brain, and psychiatric functioning in young adult cannabis users. Cannabinoid Characterization across Toxicological Biosamples in Adolescents and Young Adults by Frequent Cannabis Vaping or Smoking
2023	In progress	UC San Diego	$240,417	Adolescent Use, Long Term Effects, THC, CBD, Mental Health, Physical Health	Investigating the lifelong impact of adolescent cannabis use on mental and physical health, including the adolescent brain and cognitive development.
2020	Complete	UC San Diego	$987,738	Labeling, Edibles, Packaging, Youth Impacts, Policy Evaluation, Public Health	Investigating the impact of packaging and labeling on cannabis edible use among youth in California. Appeal rating and visual attention associated with youth-appealing cannabis packaging: An eye-tracking experiment The impacts of packaging on preferences for cannabis edibles: A discrete choice experiment
2020	In progress	UC San Diego	$887,101	Public Health, Health Impacts, Medicinal Cannabis	Assessing the role of CBD in improvement of alexithymia and health outcomes.
2020	Complete	UC San Diego	$235,039	Medicinal Cannabis, Health Impacts, Public Health	Investigating the risks and benefits of cannabis use in older adults.
2020	Complete	UC San Diego	$1,321,833	Public Health, Survey Study, Behavioral Changes, Policy Evaluation, Impact of Legalization	Assessing the public health impact of cannabis legalization in California, including usage patterns, reasons for use, behavioral changes, dependency, and information sources. Cannabis Use in California Following Legalization of Recreational Use
2020	Complete	UC San Francisco	$2,000,000	THC, CBD, CBG, Physiology, Cognitive Function, Brain Development, Public Health, Potency	Exploring the long-term effects of early-life exposure to cannabinoids, including THC, CBD, and CBG, on various health outcomes like brain development, behavior, physiology, cognition, and immune function.
2020	Complete	UC San Francisco	$1,067,483	Lung Function, Public Health, Health Impacts	Investigating the impact of cannabis use on lung function and health by measuring cannabis metabolites in urine. The Puzzle of Marijuana Use and Forced Vital Capacity
2020	Complete	UC San Francisco	$1,038,782	Pregnancy, Public Health, Policy Evaluation, Labeling	Investigating the public health impacts of mandatory warning signs for cannabis use during pregnancy. Pregnant and recently pregnant people’s views on policies that punish pregnant people who use cannabis
2020	Complete	UC San Francisco	$1,384,466	Cardiovascular Health, Secondhand Exposure, Public Health	Assessing the impact of cannabis use and secondhand exposure on cardiovascular health.
2020	Complete	UC San Francisco	$962,540	Impacts of Legalization, Cannabis Poisoning, Public Health, THC, Potency, Poison Control Data	Investigating the impact of acute cannabis poisonings and overdoses in California, both before and after the implementation of Proposition 64. Associations of Local Cannabis Control Policies With Harmful Cannabis Exposures Reported to the California Poison Control System Changes in California cannabis exposures following recreational legalization and the COVID-19 pandemic Reported exposures to derived cannabis products in California before and after the 2018 federal reclassification of hemp
2020	In progress	UC Santa Barbara	$1,999,191	Environmental Impact, Sustainability, Water Quality, Pesticides, Cultivation	Assessing the environmental impact of cannabis farms in Santa Barbara County, including pesticide residues and downstream water quality.
2023	In progress	UC Los Angeles	$2,000,000	Synthetic Cannabinoids, Legislation, Potency	Assessing synthetic and semi-synthetic cannabinoids, including potency, psychoactive effects, and therapeutic potential. Microbial Biosynthesis of Rare Cannabinoids Microbial Biosynthesis of Rare Cannabinoids
2023	In progress	UC Los Angeles	$1,849,962	Medicinal Cannabis, Health Systems, Public Health	Examining how medicinal cannabis is used among clinical populations by analyzing data from health systems in Los Angeles County, focusing on prevalence, patterns, dosing, types of products, modes of use, perceived impacts on symptoms, and self-reported adverse effects. Microbial Biosynthesis of Rare Cannabinoids Cannabis use, risk of cannabis use disorder, and anxiety and depression among bisexual patients: A comparative study of sex and sexual identity differences in a large health system
2023	In progress	UC Los Angeles	$1,679,972	Unlicensed Cultivation, Impacts of Legalization, Economic Analysis, Policy Evaluation, Taxes	Assessing changes in the CA cannabis market from 2019 through June 2024, including projecting the viability of general and equity cannabis businesses, the impact of the suspension of the cultivation tax, and how to define and mesure success in the CA cannabis market.
2023	In progress	UC Los Angeles	$437,465	Medicinal Cannabis, Healthcare	Assessing the state of medicinal cannabis in California, including medicinal cannabis patient diagnoses, cannabis preferences, and sources.
2023	In progress	UC Los Angeles	$1,662,744	THC, CBD, Health Effects, Therapeutic Outcomes, Regulation	Evaluating the interactions between THC and CBD ratios, specifically assessing their impact on adverse effects and therapeutic outcomes to inform cannabis regulation and safety measures.
2023	In progress	UC Los Angeles	$1,832,997	THC, Health Effects, Potency, Regulations	Evaluating the immediate, short-term health effects of high concentrations of delta-9 THC in smoked cannabis and inhaled cannabis concentrates (‘dabs’).
2023	In progress	UC San Francisco	$904,052	THC, Potency, Cognitive Impairment, Young Adults	Investigating the effects of cannabis concentrate THC potency and metabolism on cognitive impairment in young adults, including examining correlations between THC potency, urine THC levels, and cognitive performance.