California Cannabis Department Grants Nearly $20 Million To Academic Institutions

The California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) on April 26 awarded $19,942,918 to 16 academic institutions with plans to research cannabis. 8 and Delta-10 THC and a first-of-its-kind study of California’s cannabis genetics that aims to preserve the history, value, and diversity of the communities that manage them,” read a press release.

According to Rasha Salama, DCC’s chief deputy director, the goal is for these specific initiatives to be at the forefront of cannabis studies. “It is the Ministry’s intention that these studies advance scientific research, expand our understanding of cannabis, and contribute to the continued development and refinement of the regulatory framework,” Salama said. “These studies will provide valuable insights on issues of interest to consumers, businesses and policymakers in California, and the Department looks forward to sharing them upon completion.”

Grants were awarded to institutions in six categories, including cannabis potency, medicinal uses of cannabis, health of the cannabis industry, monopolies and unfair competition, California legacy genetics and genetic sequencing, and “other” issues. A total of 98 proposals were reviewed and 16 selected from this pool based on “strong scientific methodology, their ability to provide useful information for policy making, their advancement of public understanding of cannabis, and their potential to generate fundamental research that will exponentially support future knowledge.” “

The institution that received the highest grant amount was Cal Poly Humboldt for $2,699,178, which is being sued to address Legacy Cannabis Genetics: People and Their Plants, a Community-Driven Study.

According to a press release, a non-profit organization called the Origins Council and the Cannabis Equity Policy Council are working with Cal Poly Humboldt to work on the initiative. “This research aims to strengthen and protect California’s ancient growing communities that have overcome great adversity to renew and manage one of the most important collections of cannabis genetic resources in the world,” said Genine Coleman, executive director of the Origins Council.

In addition, the University of California, Irvine and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) each received $2 million, and both will conduct cannabis potency studies.

UCLA-based studies received six grants, and the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) received grants for three. Other institutions included the University of California, San Francisco, the University of California, 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 evaluating the intoxicating effects of inhaled cannabis plants versus inhaled concentrates. It is expected [to] Set a clinically significant threshold to define high and low THC concentrations.”

In February, the DCC also announced a new grant program that will provide $20 million to support and grow the state’s cannabis industry. “Expanding access to the California retail cannabis market is an important step in protecting consumer safety and supporting a balanced market,” said DCC Director Nicole Elliott. “The Retail Access Program is ultimately aimed at promoting legal retail outlets in areas where existing consumers do not have convenient access to regulated cannabis.” The grant application window closes on April 28, and $10 million of grant funding will be awarded by June 20th. Thereafter, an additional $10 million will be “available to previous award winners in the issuance of licenses.”

The DCC released a statement on enforcement statistics for the past two years in early March. According to the agency’s report, the DCC conducted 61 search warrants in 2021 but 155 in 2022. In 2021, the DCC seized more than 41,726 pounds of cannabis (worth ca (estimated to be worth more than $243,017,836).