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CMCR Grants Program - 2025 - 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. Additionally, since many Californians use plant-derived cannabis products or flower for medical reasons, applications that evaluate the therapeutic potential of plant-derived products or flower are encouraged.

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] and delta-8 THC). Under-researched or “minor” cannabinoids, and related compounds (e.g. terpenoids, flavonoids), 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 2025 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..

CMCR co-Director Tom Marcotte, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine, sat down to discuss key methodologies and findings from his research on how cannabis use affects driving impairment. Alongside his published work, Dr. Marcotte shares insights on his groundbreaking Real World Cannabis Study, featuring a custom-designed mobile laboratory and driving simulator. This innovative setup will enable his team to investigate the effects of cannabis products purchased and used by consumers at home.

Background: In a cross-sectional study using data from Exam 6 (2016–2018) in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), a prospective cohort study of men and women aged 45–84 years who were free of clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) at the time of study enrollment (n = 6,814), CMCR investigators Dr. Jamie Corroon and Igor Grant, along with other UCSD researchers Drs. Ryan Bradley and Matt Allison, studied the relationship between regular cannabis smoking and calcified plaque in the carotid arteries.

Results: The study sample included 2,152 participants, 7.4% (n = 159) of whom reported a history of regular cannabis smoking of at least once per month. The average age was 74 years, with an almost equal distribution across sexes. Non-Hispanic White participants comprised the largest portion of the sample (38.4%). Among all participants, 36.1% (n = 777) had detectable calcified plaque in their carotid arteries (CAC: Carotid Artery Calcium).

No associations were found between a history of regular cannabis smoking (yes/no), the duration of regular cannabis smoking, or recency of smoking (past month), and the presence or extent of calcified plaque in carotid arteries, as measured by plaque volume, density, and Agatston score, a validated measure of the quantity of calcified plaque based on a CT scan.

These findings were consistent across age, race/ethnicity, and cigarette smoking, except for an increased prevalence in men with a history of regular cannabis smoking.

Similarly, in a subgroup with CAC, no association was found between a history of regular cannabis smoking and extent of calcification as measured by volume, density, and Agatston score.

Conclusions: In a racially and ethnically diverse cohort of older adults with a moderately high prevalence of CAC, no associations were found between a history of regular cannabis smoking, duration, or recency of cannabis smoking, and the prevalence of carotid calcified plaque. These findings were consistent across age, race/ethnicity, and cigarette smoking, except for an increased prevalence in men with a history of regular cannabis smoking. Similarly, in a subgroup with CAC, no association was found between a history of regular cannabis smoking and extent of calcification as measured by volume, density, and Agatston score.

Read the full study here.

Citation: Corroon J, Bradley R, Grant I, et al. Regular cannabis smoking and carotid artery calcification in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Vascular Medicine. 2024;0(0). doi:10.1177/1358863X241287690

Background: In a cross-sectional study using data from Exam 6 (2016–2018) in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), a prospective cohort study of men and women aged 45–84 years who were free of clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) at the time of study enrollment (n = 6,814), CMCR investigators Dr. Jamie Corroon and Igor Grant, along with other UCSD researchers Drs. Ryan Bradley and Matt Allison, studied the relationship between regular cannabis smoking and blood pressure and hypertension.

Results: The study sample included 3,255 participants, 7.4% (n = 241) of whom reported a history of regular cannabis smoking of at least once per month. The average age was 74 years (range: 59–99 years), with an almost equal distribution across sexes. Non-Hispanic White participants comprised the largest portion of the sample (39.9%).

Importantly, no associations were found between a history of regular cannabis smoking, the duration or recency of smoking, and either systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP), or pulse (PP) pressure, or the prevalence of hypertension.

None of these associations were modified by factors such as age, sex, race/ethnicity, or cigarette smoking.

In addition, the absence of associations found in the overall sample was largely mirrored in two subgroups: those without a history of either myocardial infarction or stroke and those not taking antihypertensive medications. Therefore, these results remain robust despite the possibility of increased medical intervention.

Conclusion: In a cohort of racially and ethnically diverse older adults with a high prevalence of hypertension, no evidence of increased risk due to regular cannabis smoking was found for either blood pressure or hypertension.

Read the full study here.

Citation: Corroon J, Bradley R, Allison MA and Grant I (2024) Blood pressure and hypertension in older adults with a history of regular cannabis use: findings from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Front. Cardiovasc. Med. 11:1432923