On November 13th, the California Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC), the lead state agency that regulates commercial licenses for both medical and adult-use cannabis, announced a wave of research grant funding at public universities. Researchers affiliated with the Berkeley Cannabis Research Center received $4.6 million in grants of the $30 million total that was awarded across the state.
Proposals for grants fell within one of several categories related to cannabis research, including environmental impacts, public health, criminal justice and public safety, economic impacts, and the industry. Submissions to the BCC totaled more than 100 applications, with each grant proposal able to receive funds up to $2 million. Of the thirty-four grants awarded, eight went to teams at Berkeley.
The majority of Berkeley grants went to researchers in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (ESPM), spanning a broad range of topics. For instance, professor Justin Brashares and graduate student Phoebe Parker-Shames were awarded funding to assess the environmental impacts of noise and light disturbance on wildlife from cannabis farms. Cooperative Extension (CE) specialists Jennifer Sowerwine and Van Butsic are part of a team that will examine tribal sovereignty and cannabis permitting on Native ancestral land. Other grants analyze the relationships between…
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