Marijuana Research

Request for Proposals:

The grants program administered by the Marijuana Policy Project is seeking proposals for up to $60,000 for objective, publishable, scientifically rigorous research on marijuana and marijuana policy.

Please click here for grant application guidelines for the MPP grants program.

The MPP grants program provides funding for projects that will measurably advance marijuana policy reform in the United States. While the MPP grants program appreciates that research is and should be a scientific activity that is distinct from direct advocacy, we encourage grant applicants to describe how their research findings might be used to contribute to marijuana policy reform.

The areas of research in which the MPP grants program is most interested include — but are not limited to — the following:

1. Studying the therapeutic effects of marijuana on patients.
2. Studying whether teenagers trust government-sponsored anti-marijuana messages — and the long-term impact of such messages on the use of marijuana and other drugs.
3. Determining the number of treatment slots filled by people coerced into marijuana treatment and studying the impact this has on the availability of treatment for people with chemical dependencies.
4. Studying the economic impact of marijuana policy reform measures, whether proposed or already enacted.
5. Studying the impact of marijuana policy reform measures on law-enforcement resources, including the extent to which other crimes are not enforced or prosecuted.
6. Studying the long-term impact of criminal versus non-criminal (or no) sanctions on marijuana users and their families, such as the impact on education, employment, criminality, disease, victimization, etc.
7. Studying the impact of low-THC versus high-THC marijuana on marijuana users, including the impact on titration and smoking-related health problems.
8. Studying the financial impact on the health care system if marijuana were made medically available nationally, including measuring the costs of medical marijuana versus pharmaceuticals.
9. Providing a detailed characterization of what happens to marijuana arrestees, including the percentage prosecuted and incarcerated, as well as racial, economic, and geographic disparities in enforcement.
10. Studying whether there are biases in publicly funded marijuana research, particularly in research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
11. Studying the frequency and severity of marijuana dependency, perhaps in comparison to alcohol and nicotine.
12. Determining how many parole and probation violators are incarcerated for possessing marijuana or for testing positive for marijuana.
13. Developing or evaluating strategies for parents and communities to prevent marijuana abuse by young people, including developing honest, "reality-based" drug education and evaluating the impact of parents who are truthful about their marijuana use on their children's amount and patterns of use of marijuana and other drugs.
14. Studying the fairness of reporting on marijuana issues in the mainstream media, including the extent to which government spokespeople and their assertions go unchallenged.
15. Compiling and analyzing studies on the safety and efficacy of medical marijuana.

These examples illustrate some of the publishable research that we desire to fund, but any novel research proposal related to marijuana or marijuana policy will receive consideration. Applicants should include a resume, describe their research protocol and the likelihood that their research will be published and in which publication(s), and discuss the strategic importance of the research topic to policy change. For research-related grants, MPP allows a maximum indirect rate of 8 percent.

Again, please click here for grant application guidelines.