National Institute on Substance Abuse to fund studies into legal marijuana

By Nicolas Jose Rodriguez

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the lead federal agency that supports scientific research into drug use and its consequences, encourages federally funded cannabis research and has expressed an interest in studying different regulatory models and patterns of cannabis use in the United States, Marijuana Moment reported.

On Friday, the agency released an expression of interest with instructions for researchers to apply for funding.

Photo by Wanida Prapan/Getty Images

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“Policy on cannabis products (including whole plant and cannabis constituent cannabis) in the United States (and worldwide) is evolving and far exceeds the knowledge needed to determine the public health implications of these changes,” it said it in the message. “More and more states have relaxed cannabis restrictions, including sales and use restrictions, by circumventing medical marijuana laws or legalizing cannabis for adult recreational use, and more states have done both.

In 2018, NIDA solicited input from a National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse (NACDA) working group to identify the research areas of cannabis policy with the greatest urgency and potential for impact.

Areas of programmatic interest for NIDA include developing standards to measure cannabis and cannabis components (including THC, CBD, other cannabinoids and terpenes), dose, intoxication and/or impairment, and improving existing epidemiological research to identify trends for to investigate cannabis product use and cannabis use disorder (CUD); including new products (e.g. delta-8 THC products), consumption patterns and reasons for consumption in different population groups.

NIDA seeks to characterize the composition/potency, usage pattern and methods of administration of cannabis products, including whole plant cannabis, cannabis extracts/concentrates and various cannabis components (e.g. cannabinoids or terpenes), and how these factors affect each other affecting physical and mental health.

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In addition, the agency is interested in examining the effects of multiple substance use on health, how cannabis industry practices—including research on marketing, taxes, and pricing—affect health, and the heterogeneity of regulatory systems investigate to understand which combinations of components minimize harm to public health.

The notice applies to due dates on or after June 5, 2022 and subsequent receipt dates through May 5, 2025.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.