First announced on December 29, 2025, the Department of Cannabis Control awarded nearly $30 million to fund 22 research projects. The Department has awarded nearly $80 million since 2020 to fund 72 research projects. Learn more about previously funded projects.
Evaluating the Impact of Cannabis Vape Packaging and Health Warning Regulations on Young Adults
UC San Diego
Summary: This study will assess how vape packaging features and warning labels affect young adults’ risk perception, attention, and purchase intentions. Findings will inform evidence-based packaging and labeling regulations to reduce youth appeal and enhance the effectiveness of health warnings for cannabis vape products.
Award amount: $1,517,730
School Educational Approaches to Prevent and Reduce Youth Cannabis Use
UC Davis
Summary: This project identifies effective cannabis education strategies and their barriers to adoption. The study will deliver data-driven recommendations for school prevention programs and youth cannabis policy.
Award amount: $643,828
Cannabis Use and Product Selection Among Older Adults
UC San Diego
Summary: This study seeks understanding of how older adults weigh product features like potency, cost, and safety when purchasing cannabis. Findings will inform labeling, education, and retail strategies to improve consumer safety and support evidence-based cannabis policy for aging populations.
Award amount: $643,428
Immediate and Long-Term Cardiovascular Effects of Smoked and Oral Cannabis: A Controlled Human Drug-Administration Study
UC Los Angeles
Summary: This study will investigate cardiovascular effects of smoked and oral cannabis to inform clinical guidance, product labeling, and statewide cannabis policy.
Award amount: $2,083,850
Clinical Pharmacology of Commercially Available THC-infused beverages
UC San Francisco
Summary: This study will measure THC absorption, onset, and duration across multiple infused-beverage formulations under real-world consumption conditions. Results will inform product safety standards, labeling accuracy, and consumer guidance for low-dose beverage products to minimize impairment risks.
Award amount: $1,975,523.03
Effects of Cannabis Regulatory Policies on Young Adults in an In Vivo Simulated Dispensary
UC San Diego
Summary: This behavioral study will use a simulated dispensary environment where young adults make purchasing decisions under different regulatory conditions—such as varying THC limits, health warnings, and price structures—to observe real-time behavioral responses. Findings will quantify how policy levers shape purchasing behavior and risk perception, supporting data-driven regulation to reduce youth harms.
Award amount: $2,000,000
Characterizing Unregulated Cannabis Markets in California Post-Legalization: A Drug Checking, Ethnographic, and Policy Study
UC Los Angeles
Summary: This study aims to assess why consumers continue using illicit sources of cannabis and what contaminants these products contain. The results will inform regulatory and taxation strategies that minimize public health harms and reduce the size of California’s unregulated market.
Award amount: $1,999,774.78
Cannabinoid Therapeutics: Synthesis, Binding, Safety, and Computations
UC Los Angeles
Summary: This project will study and characterize novel cannabinoids with therapeutic potential.
Award amount: $2,000,000
Cannabinoids and the Brain: Focused Investigations of Therapeutic Application and Early-Life Risk
UC San Francisco
Summary: This project will examine how exposure to specific cannabinoids affects brain development, neuroinflammation, and therapeutic pathways. The work will clarify safe dosage thresholds and long-term neurological risks, advancing cannabinoid-based medicine and public health protection.
Award amount: $1,993,986.41
Price and Tax Trends and Their Effects on Cannabis Sales: Evidence from Multi-State Retail Scanner Data
UC San Diego
Summary: Using comprehensive retail scanner data across 20+ U.S. states, this project will analyze consumer responsiveness to price changes and tax rates, providing actionable insights to guide equitable, health-oriented taxation policies.
Award amount: $1,219,052
From Community to Counter: Cannabis Retailer Training and Policy Translation in San Diego
UC San Diego
Summary: This project will develop a training program for cannabis retailers to promote responsible sales, youth prevention, and compliance with local laws.
Award amount: $1,808,610
Cannabis Crop Yields: Survey and Remote Sensing
UC Berkeley
Summary: This project will estimate cannabis crop yield variability across indoor, outdoor, and mixed-light cultivation systems. The resulting models will improve crop-production estimates and inform regulatory oversight and market forecasting for California’s legal cannabis sector.
Award amount: $1,807,977
Cannabis Use in Older Adults: Prevalence and Provider Education (COPPE) Initiative
UC Irvine
Summary: Combining artificial intelligence–driven data mining across UC Health records with the creation of a statewide learning collaborative, this initiative will map cannabis-related healthcare encounters among older adults and develop provider education modules to improve care and reduce adverse events.
Award amount: $1,559,887
Characterization of Naturally Occurring Organoleptic Compounds for Inhalable Cannabis Regulation
UC Los Angeles
Summary: This study will build a Flower Flavor-Compound Reference Dataset defining natural terpene concentration ranges to distinguish authentic plant flavors from prohibited additives, supporting DCC policy and consumer safety.
Award amount: $1,234,746
Licit and Illicit Cannabis Sources: Predictors, Consequences, and Regulatory Implications
UC Riverside
Summary: This study will examine how individual, environmental, and policy factors influence consumer reliance on legal versus illegal cannabis sources. Results will help inform regulatory strategies to curb illicit market activity.
Award amount: $1,241,718.95
Pesticide and Allergen Exposure Among Cannabis Workers: An Occupational Health Study
San Diego State
Summary: Through a community-based field study of 150 participants, this research uses silicone wristbands for passive chemical sampling and advanced analysis to assess pesticide and terpene exposure among cannabis workers across cultivation types. Results will provide the first comprehensive exposure profile for California’s cannabis workforce, guiding occupational health protections and regulatory enforcement.
Award amount: $1,157,196
Effects of Additives and Contaminants on the Public Health Implications of Cannabis Vaping
UC Davis
Summary: This research investigates how chemical additives and contaminants in cannabis vape products influence toxicity, brain exposure, and blood-brain barrier function. The project aims to identify specific compounds that heighten neurological or systemic risks, supporting policies for safer manufacturing and regulation of cannabis vape products.
Award amount: $1,151,290.80
Impacts of Housing and Community-Based Education on Cannabis Use
Long Beach State
Summary: This research will explore how housing instability and cannabis business zoning affect marginalized residents. Insights will inform equitable urban-planning and regulatory practices that minimize displacement and promote community health in legalization-affected areas.
Award amount: $891,051
Impact of Marketing of Licensed and Unlicensed Cannabis on Consumer Preferences and Safety
UC San Diego
Summary: This study investigates how marketing strategies—such as product claims, packaging, and warning labels—affect young adults’ cannabis purchasing decisions and risk perceptions.
Award amount: $825,618.80
Assessing the Environmental Benefits of Cannabis Licensure
UC Berkeley
Summary: This study compares licensed and unlicensed cultivation sites to quantify improvements in water, habitat, and pesticide management following licensure.
Award amount: $731,754
Pathways to Partnership with the Tribal Cannabis Market
UC Davis
Summary: This study will examine California’s tribal cannabis markets and identify models for tribal–state collaboration. The project will produce regulatory templates and partnership pathways to enhance consumer safety, environmental sustainability, and economic opportunities while respecting tribal sovereignty.
Award amount: $698,537
Agricultural Exceptionalism: A Comparison of Cannabis, Hemp, and Specialty Crop Regulatory Regimes
UC Berkeley
Summary: This project analyzes how cannabis and hemp regulations diverge from those governing conventional agriculture, shaping labor, land use, and environmental compliance. The findings will help harmonize agricultural policy and environmental regulation across crop types.
Award amount: $658,565
About the Cannabis Academic Research Grants Program
Find more information on the Department’s Cannabis Academic Research Grants Program.
