How medical cannabis affects physical and mental health
Official title: Cannabis effects on physical and mental health in medical cannabis patients
Funded at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences · NIH-11314516 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether medical cannabis leads to problematic patterns of use and how tolerance and withdrawal relate to physical and mental health in adult medical cannabis patients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | June 15, 2024 |
| Project end | March 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $706,467 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA058663-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11314516 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (18+) who use medical cannabis regularly or who are concerned about tolerance, withdrawal, or cannabis-related problems would be ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People under 18, recreational-only cannabis users, or those unwilling to provide follow-up information or samples are unlikely to benefit directly from participating.
What this research studies
You would be part of research that adapts prescription-medication diagnostic ideas to medical cannabis so doctors can tell expected medication effects from a harmful pattern of use. The team will collect symptom reports, medical history, alcohol co-use information, and biological markers and follow patients over time to see who develops signs of problematic use. They will focus on tolerance and withdrawal symptoms and compare those with behaviors like impaired control or continued use despite problems. Findings will be used to improve how clinicians identify and monitor patients at higher risk for cannabis use disorder while using medical cannabis.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help clinicians spot and prevent problematic cannabis use in medical cannabis patients and guide safer monitoring and dosing.
How similar studies have gone: Large surveys have shown a portion of medical cannabis users meet CUD criteria, but applying DSM-5 prescription-medication approaches to medical cannabis is relatively new and not yet widely tested.
Where this research is happening
-
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Newark, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chung, Tammy — Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Chung, Tammy
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.