Announcements

As part of Proposition 64 funding to the CMCR, the Center is pleased to announce three new studies that have been selected for funding. These proposals were submitted in response to the Spring 2023 call, which was open to all California higher education and nonprofit research institutions. The final selection was based on external peer review, advice of the CMCR’s National Advisory Council, and attentiveness to CMCR priorities. A new call for proposals will be announced in Spring 2024.

Principal Investigator: Edythe London, PhD, Distinguished Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Science; and Molecular and Medical Pharmacology
Institution: UCLA
Title: Evaluating the efficacy of cannabidiol for reducing cigarette use
Funding amount: $825,000
Dr. London’s research will evaluate if CBD can facilitate smoking cessation.

Principal Investigator: Antoine Snijders, PhD, Senior Scientist, BioEngineering and BioMedical Sciences
Institution:Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Title: Contribution of genetic factors to individual differences in anxiety in response to the cannabinoids THC and CBD
Funding amount: $300,000
Dr. Snijders’ pre-clinical proposes to delineate genetic variation that underlies the adverse and/or beneficial effects of THC and CBD on anxiety, and mechanistically investigate the differential response to THC and CBD by analyzing CBD-altered liver and hippocampal transcript profiles.

Principal Investigator: Fadel Zeidan, PhD, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
Institution: UC San Diego
Title: The effects and brain mechanisms supporting cannabis-induced chronic low back pain relief
Funding amount: $300,000
Dr. Zeidan’s study aims to determine if medium-dose cannabis can attenuate acutely evoked chronic low back pain as compared to a very low dose cannabis This study also aims to identify the neural mechanisms supporting pain relief by cannabis.

Congratulations to the new CMCR Investigators!

- Igor Grant, MD, Director

CMCR Grants Program - 2023 - Request for Applications

The Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) is seeking to fund cannabis-related studies that further enhance the understanding of the efficacy and adverse effects of cannabis and cannabinoids as pharmacological agents for the treatment of medical and psychiatric disorders, and their potential public health impacts. Two award types are available. Primary project awards will be up to $275,000 in total costs (direct and indirect) per year for up to three years. Pilot project awards will be up to $150,000 in total costs (direct and indirect) per year for up to two years.

Key Dates

Funding Priorities

Funding priorities include studies that 1) provide proof-of-principle findings that inform future, more comprehensive studies, 2) address scientific gaps identified by authoritative reviews (e.g., ‘The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids’, National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; 2017), or 3) represent promising new directions for research.

With regard to cannabis therapeutics there is no pre-determined list or priority ranking of disorders eligible for funding. Instead, applicants are encouraged to consider the findings of ‘The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids’, National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; 2017, or other authoritative reviews, as well as the most current research, as a starting point for areas of study.

Although the CMCR focus is on the potential of cannabis for therapeutics of medical and psychiatric disorders, applications may address adverse effects of cannabis (e.g., effects on cognition; mental health; driving and public safety; drug-drug interactions), and effects on certain populations (eg, elderly, women’s health). Applications addressing the role of cannabinoids in COVID will also be considered.

Applicants are encouraged to review CMCR’s portfolio of recently-funded grants. While the fact that certain areas are already being supported does not constitute an exclusion, CMCR is looking to studies that open new directions, and to California-based public or private higher education institutions, or nonprofit research institutions, that have not yet been represented in our portfolio.

The CMCR will also consider basic science and animal studies with clear translational implications for human health and disease. Studies of assays/methods for detection of cannabinoids, endocannabinoids, related substances are likewise eligible. Nevertheless, CMCR is not in a position to support new drug development or manufacture of cannabinoids.

Proof of principle clinical studies are encouraged, as are proposals that leverage other funding (e.g., from other grant sources, foundations, in-kind contributions of equipment or services, etc.). Applicants are encouraged to consider trials of psychoactive cannabinoids (e.g., delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] anddelta-8 THC). Under-researched or “minor” cannabinoids, and related compounds (e.g. terpenoids), along with drugs directly affecting function and pathways of the endocannabinoid system, also should be viewed as potential test agents.

Instructions for submitting Letters of Intent

Letters of Intent and subsequent applications will be submitted via proposalCENTRAL (https://proposalcentral.com/). Search “CMCR Grants Program” to locate the application. Please review the attached Request For Applications for instructions. Instructions and document templates can also be found on proposalCENTRAL.

See the PDF of 2023 Request For Applications for more details.

If you have questions or need assistance with your proposal, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

As part of Proposition 64 funding to the CMCR, the Center is pleased to announce three new studies have been selected for funding this year. These proposals were submitted in response to the Spring 2022 call, which was open to all California higher education and nonprofit research institutions. The final selection was based on external peer review, advice of the CMCR’s National Advisory Council, and attentiveness to CMCR priorities.

Principal Investigator: Nicholas Butowski, MD, Professor of Neurological Surgery, UC San Francisco; Staci Gruber, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
Institution: UC San Francisco
Title: An Open-Label Clinical Trial of a Hemp-Derived, Ultra-High Cannabidiol Product for Anxiety and Pain in Patients with Glioblastoma
Funding amount: $300,000
Drs. Butowski and Gruber’s research will assess the impact of full-spectrum, hemp derived CBD product on measures of anxiety and quality of life in newly-diagnosed glioblastoma patients undergoing standard of care.

Principal Investigator: Catherine Cahill, PhD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry
Institution: UCLA
Title: Terpenes as Novel Analgesics - Preclinical Study
Funding amount: $300,000
Dr. Cahill’s proposed pre-clinical work will study the potential of terpenes in pain management as well as inform mechanisms and circuits by which they engage endogenous opioid systems.

Principal Investigator: Daniele Piomelli, PhD, Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology
Institution: UC Irvine
Title: Antinociceptive effects of phytocannabinoids in a mouse model of sickle cell disease (SCD)
Funding amount: $400,000
Dr. Piomelli’s pre-clinical study will evaluate the antinociceptive efficacy and side-effect profile of THC, CBD, and their combinations in sickle cell disease mice, with or without hydroxyurea treatment.

Congratulations to the new CMCR Investigators!

- Igor Grant, MD, Director

CMCR Grants Program - 2022 - Request for Applications

The Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) seeks to fund primary and pilot cannabis-related studies that further enhance the understanding of the efficacy and adverse effects of cannabis and cannabinoids as pharmacological agents for the treatment of medical and psychiatric disorders, and their potential public health impacts. Primary project awards are up to $825,000 in total costs ($275,000 per year) for up to three years. Pilot awards are up to $300,000 for two years ($150,000 per year). Priority is given to proposals addressing issues identified under Funding Priorities.

Key Dates

Funding Priorities

Funding priorities include studies that 1) provide proof-of-principle findings that inform future, more comprehensive studies, 2) address scientific gaps identified by the emerging literature 3) represent promising new directions for research.

Although the CMCR focus is on the therapeutic potential of cannabis, applications may address adverse effects of cannabis (e.g., effects on cognition; mental health; driving and public safety; drug-drug interactions), and effects on certain populations (eg, elderly, women’s health).

Applications addressing the role of cannabinoids in COVID will also be considered. Applicants are encouraged to review CMCR’s portfolio of recently-funded grants. While the fact that certain areas are already being supported does not constitute an exclusion, CMCR is looking to studies that open new directions.

The CMCR will also consider basic science and animal studies with clear translational implications for human health and disease. Studies of assays/methods for detection of cannabinoids, endocannabinoids, related substances are likewise eligible. However, CMCR is not in a position to support new drug development.

Proof of principle clinical studies are encouraged, as are proposals that leverage other funding (e.g., from other grant sources, foundations, in-kind contributions of equipment or services, etc.). Applicants are encouraged to consider psychoactive cannabinoids (e.g., delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, THC; delta 8 THC) as well as well as “minor” cannabinoids, and related compounds (e.g. terpenoids), and drugs directly affecting function and pathways of the endocannabinoid system as potential test agents.

Application window is now CLOSED

Applications will be submitted via proposalCENTRAL (https://proposalcentral.com/). Search “CMCR Grants Program” to locate the application. Please review the attached Request For Applications for instructions. Instructions and document templates can also be found on proposalCENTRAL.

See the PDF of 2022 Request For Applications for more details.

If you have questions or need assistance with your proposal, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..