The California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) awarded $19,942,918 to 16 academic institutions with plans to research cannabis on April 26. Grants will go towards research initiatives that explore the efficacy of cannabis on “the mental health of young people, new cannabinoids such as Delta-8 and Delta-10 THC, and the first-of-its-kind study of the genetics of cannabis in California, aimed at preserving the history, value, and diversity of the communities that nurture them.” press release advertiser.
According to DCC Vice President Rasha Salameh, the goal is to have these private initiatives lead the way in cannabis studies. “The department looks forward to these studies strengthening the scientific research body, increasing our understanding of cannabis, and aiding the continued development and improvement of the legal framework,” Salama said. “These studies will provide valuable insights into topics of interest to California consumers, businesses, and policymakers, and the administration looks forward to sharing them once they are complete.”
Grants were awarded to organizations in six categories, including potency of cannabis, medical use of cannabis, health of the cannabis industry, monopolies and unfair competition, California genetics and hereditary sequencing, and “other” topics. A total of 98 proposals were considered, and 16 were selected from that group based on their “strong scientific methodology, their ability to provide useful information for policy-making, to enhance public understanding of cannabis, and their ability to generate foundational research that will support exponential ‘future knowledge’.”
The institution that received the highest grant amount of money was Cal Poly Humboldt at $2,699,178, which will be sued for addressing the topic “The Inheritance of Cannabis Genetics: People and Their Plants, A Community-Led Study.”
According to a press release, a nonprofit organization called the Origins Council and Cannabis Equity Policy Council is partnering with Cal Poly Humboldt to work on this initiative. “This research seeks to empower and protect California heirloom farming communities that have overcome great adversity to create and manage one of the most important collections of cannabis genetic resources in the world,” Asset Council Executive Director Jenine Coleman said.
In addition, the University of California, Irvine, and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) received $2 million each, and both will conduct cannabis efficacy studies.
UCLA-Based Studies has been awarded six grants, and University of California, Berkeley (UCB) has been awarded grants for three. Other institutions included the University of California, San Francisco, UC Davis, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and Cal Poly Humboldt.
A special collaboration between UC Irvine and UCLA will “conduct the first double-blind, placebo-controlled, federally compliant, drug administration study to evaluate the intoxicating effects of inhaled cannabis plants compared to inhaled concentrates.” [to] Establish a clinically significant threshold for determining high and low THC concentrations.
in FebruaryDCC also announced a new grant program offering $20 million to help support and expand the cannabis industry in the state. “Expanding access to the retail cannabis market in California is an important step toward protecting consumer safety and supporting a balanced market.” said DCC Director Nicole Elliott. “The Retail Access Grants Program ultimately seeks to encourage legal retail operations in areas where existing consumers do not have easy access to regulated cannabis.” The grant application window ends April 28, and it will be $10 million in grant money Awarded by June 20. After that, an additional $10 million will be made available to “previous holders when licenses are issued.”
DCC issued a statement in early March regarding Enforcement statistics from the past two years. According to the agency’s report, DCC led 61 inspections in 2021, but conducted 155 in 2022. In 2021, DCC seized more than 41,726 pounds of cannabis (about $77,772,936 in value), but that number rose to £144,254. In 2022. (Estimated over $243,017,836 USD).
