UM1DA059000

Development of a Longitudinal Observational Research Registry for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis Use and Health

Due to changes in cannabis policy, most Americans now have access to an array of retail cannabis products. An estimated 5.5 million Americans are registered with state-regulated medical cannabis programs, and the therapeutic use of federally legal hemp (e.g., CBD) products is widespread. Despite most states having legalized medicinal cannabis use, little is known about the characteristics of these patients, the cannabis products they use, or the patient-level health impact of their medicinal cannabis use. Filling these gaps in knowledge remains an urgent public health need.

We propose to:

1) Design and implement a prospective medicinal cannabis patient registry for longitudinal data collection. We will recruit a nationally representative cohort of patients newly initiating the use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes into a longitudinal observational research registry. We will assess patient demographics, cannabis product use, and a range of health outcomes prior to and repeatedly after initiation of medicinal cannabis use via web-based surveys. A subset of patients will complete intensive data collection via ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and/or provide biospecimens for clinical chemistry testing to determine the impact of medicinal cannabis use on daily functioning and symptom management, in addition to potential unseen harms such as liver toxicity.

2) Establish a program of medicinal cannabis product testing based on adverse event reporting and other mentions of injury/harm in the patient registry or via surveillance of other data sources (e.g., poison control data, FDA warnings, online forum posts). Products associated with adverse events or other harms will be targeted for testing related to dose-label accuracy, cannabinoid content, and presence of contaminants.

3) Identify and integrate existing sources of data that can inform the health impacts of medicinal cannabis use. This includes electronic medical record (EMR) databases as well as prior and ongoing research projects of the study team (e.g., Realm of Caring Observational Research Registry).

4) Develop and implement a website that will include annual summary reports of the combined data, an application process for researcher access to de-identified data for the conduct of novel analyses, and an archive of published papers related to the health impacts of medicinal cannabis use. A pilot research program to fund scientists interested in probing the data repository will be established. Our team includes internationally recognized expertise in the comprehensive research methods proposed.

The result of this project will be a rich data resource for understanding the health impacts of medicinal cannabis use. Data will include patient-level outcomes across a broad range of therapeutic purposes and include use of a variety of cannabis products. Data will help inform clinical decision making related to initiation of cannabis products, guidance on product, route of administration, and dose selection, risks related to adverse events, injury/poisoning risk, and abuse liability. Findings will also help local and federal government agencies develop effective policies, programs, and regulatory strategies to mitigate harms associated with the rapidly growing cannabis industry.

The Johns Hopkins University

TO SUPPORT BASIC AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE, BIOMEDICAL, BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCE, EPIDEMIOLOGIC, HEALTH SERVICES AND HEALTH DISPARITY RESEARCH. TO DEVELOP NEW KNOWLEDGE AND APPROACHES RELATED TO THE PREVENTION, DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT, ETIOLOGY, AND CONSEQUENCES OF DRUG ABUSE AND ADDICTION, INCLUDING HIV/AIDS. TO SUPPORT RESEARCH TRAINING AND RESEARCH SCIENTIST DEVELOPMENT. TO SUPPORT DISSEMINATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) LEGISLATION IS INTENDED TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE THE SBIR PROGRAMS TO EMPHASIZE AND INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED THROUGH FEDERAL SBIR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN THE SBIR PROGRAM. THE LEGISLATION INTENDS THAT THE SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM STIMULATE AND FOSTER SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION.

93.279 - Drug Abuse and Addiction Research Programs

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) [HHS - NIH]

Baltimore, Maryland 212051832 United States

Single Zip Code

Registry of Medical Cannabis Use and Health Outcomes (UM1 - Clinical Trial Optional) (RFA-DA-23-011)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 197% from $2,058,998 to $6,116,522.