Science & Research

Researchers with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, with the support of a $10 million federal grant, are set to track 10,000 U.S. cannabis patients from the start of their medical cannabis journey through at least a year to better understand the efficacy and effects of cannabis medicine.

In a recent paper, researchers have advocated for equitable and inclusive practices in cannabis research, addressing the historical and ongoing disparities in enforcement and the industry’s profit distribution.

The University of Utah Health is set to launch the Center for Medical Cannabis Research, which aims to “advance scientific understanding of medical cannabis and help patients and providers make informed health decisions about this increasingly common medication.”

A recent study found that about 80% of people who consume cannabis to help with sleep quit using prescription and over-the-counter sleep aids such as melatonin and benzodiazepines.

Recent studies have confirmed through double-blind testing that a cannabis bud’s aroma is the most critical factor in determining one’s enjoyment of the product, which begs the question: should aroma be given a greater emphasis in cannabis competitions?

Recent research suggests that home values in states with adult-use cannabis laws have outpaced home values in other states by nearly $49,000 from 2014 to 2023.

Researchers at Duke University are exploring how psychedelics function in the brain by dosing larval zebrafish with a compound similar to LSD, and investigating how the substance affects movement and perception.

In a move that highlights the controversy around potency obsession and lab-shopping, Washington state regulators have issued an emergency suspension of a cannabis testing lab’s license alleging the lab had submitted “incorrect and/or false” test results to its clients and the government.

A University at Buffalo (UB) researcher was awarded $3.2 million from the National Cancer Institute to study how cannabis affects patients who receive immunotherapy.

A recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports found that individuals who used psychedelics were more likely to experience better mental health outcomes during the pandemic.

Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) in Texas has received a nearly $300,000 grant from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to study the use of hemp as animal feed.

Harvard University is creating a Study of Psychedelics in Society and Culture that aims to “transform the psychedelics research landscape.”

A recent study published in the peer-reviewed CHEST Journal found that cannabis consumers who contracted COVID-19 had reduced mortality and better outcomes compared to non-consumers.

A recent study by New Zealand researchers found that planting hemp as a cover crop in vineyards could be beneficial, increasing organic matter and total carbon in the soil.

Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has received a $600,000 USDA grant to study industrial hemp and investigate the regulation of biosynthetic pathways for cannabinoid production.

A coalition of CBD companies has submitted a study to U.S. officials showing that upper intake levels of 70 milligrams of CBD per day are safe for healthy adults and that up to 160 milligrams per day are safe for healthy adults who are not trying to conceive, are pregnant, or lactating.

Harvest New York recently released a hemp growing manual assembled by researchers from Cornell Cooperative Extension and Alabama A&M University, a USDA research geneticist, and other industry experts.

A recent study published in the Journal of Cannabis Research found that the majority of hemp-derived THC products carry mislabeled dosages on their packaging and that most companies do not actually check their products for impurities.

Past-year and daily cannabis use among adults aged 19-30 are at the highest levels ever recorded by the National Institutes of Health, according to the 2022 Monitoring the Future survey.

Penn State researchers received $1 million from the National Science Foundation to help fund the development of the Pennsylvania Industrial Hemp Engine, an effort to support the manufacture and deployment of bio-based products for greener construction, packaging, renewable energy, and more.

The University of California, San Diego Psychedelics and Health Research Initiative has received a $1.5 million philanthropic gift funding an investigation into the effects of DMT on the brain.

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found that teenagers living in ZIP codes with operating medical cannabis dispensaries are less likely to consume cannabis than teenagers who live in areas without them.