UCLA has been awarded four grants totaling $7.3 million from the California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) to advance research on cannabis, spanning topics from potential medical applications to public health risks and the state’s ongoing struggle with an unregulated marijuana market.
The funding will support projects led by faculty across the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, the UCLA College of Letters and Science, and the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. All of the funded researchers are members of the UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids, a multidisciplinary hub focused on evidence-based cannabis science.
“This achievement reflects UCLA’s leadership in advancing cannabis science through innovative research,” said Ziva Cooper, director of the UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids and a professor at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. “From the laboratory to real-world market dynamics, our faculty are generating findings that will shape evidence-based regulation that prioritizes public health.”
The two-year grants represent roughly a quarter of the $30 million the DCC recently awarded to nine academic institutions statewide as part of an effort to deepen scientific understanding of cannabis and inform public policy in California’s evolving legal market.
One study will focus on synthetic cannabinoids, with researchers creating and evaluating rare and novel compounds in laboratory settings to assess potency, therapeutic potential and possible side effects. Led by UCLA chemists and chemical engineers, the $2 million project aims to provide foundational insights that could support the development of safer and more effective cannabinoid-based medicines.
Another $2 million grant will support research into California’s persistent unregulated cannabis market nearly a decade after legalization. Using drug-testing technologies, field observations and consumer surveys, investigators will examine why some consumers continue to buy cannabis from illegal sources and analyze products for contaminants that may pose health risks.
A third study, funded with $2.1 million, will examine the cardiovascular effects of cannabis through a controlled clinical trial. Researchers will assess both immediate and longer-term heart health impacts of smoked and oral cannabis, with findings intended to inform clinical care, public health guidance and consumer education.
The final project, supported by $1.2 million, will focus on cannabis terpenes and flavor regulation. Researchers plan to develop a validated reference of flavor compounds found in the plant to help establish scientific standards and guide policies aimed at protecting public health and reducing child-attractive marketing.
All four studies are expected to begin in early 2026.
Read the whole article from UCLAHealth here.
