The Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) at UC San Diego has been a leader in medical marijuana research since 2000. In the past CMCR has allocated funds to investigators in California to conduct some of the first proof of principle clinical trials of cannabis in neuropathic pain and multiple sclerosis.
With the recent allocation of new funding to CMCR as part of Proposition 64, the CMCR has launched a new wave of grant applications aimed at examining both the efficacy and safety of medicinal cannabinoids. CMCR issued a call for applications to investigators in California in April 2019, received 66 letters of intent from 19 California institutions, and invited 26 applications for primary and pilot studies. Based on external peer review, advice of the CMCR’s National Advisory Council, and rating of attentiveness to CMCR priorities, the Center has selected 5 studies for funding this year. The studies to be funded are listed in the table below.
| Study title | Principal Investigator |
Full funding amount |
| Effects of Cannabidiol (CBD) versus Placebo as an Adjunct to Treatment in Early Psychosis: Understanding the Mechanism and Mediators of Action | Kristin Cadenhead, MD (UC San Diego) | $825,000 |
| Therapeutic Response of Cannabidiol in Rheumatoid Arthritis | Veena Ranganath, MD (UCLA) | $825,000 |
| Cannabidiol for Sedative/Hypnotic-sparing Management of Insomnia in Adults | Mariana Cherner, PhD (UC San Diego) | $825,000 |
| Cannabidiol as a Strategy to Treat Alcohol Dependence | Giordano de Guglielmo, PharmD, PhD (UC San Diego) | $300,000 |
| The Role of Cannabidiol (CBD) in Regulating Meal Time Anxiety in Anorexia Nervosa: Safety, Tolerability and Pharmacokinetics * |
Guido Frank, MD (UC San Diego) * initially awarded to Emily Gray, MD but transferred to Guido Frank, MD |
$300,000 |
Congratulations to the new CMCR Investigators!
- Igor Grant, MD, Director