Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) awarded the Research Foundation For Mental Hygiene, Inc. (operating through the New York State Psychiatric Institute) a Project Grant totaling $195,804 under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279) for the period August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2031. This research project investigates the effects of cannabis on nicotine use patterns, specifically examining how cannabis influences electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) use in young and emerging adults aged 18-35 who use both substances. The award supports a novel integrated research methodology combining human laboratory studies with ecological momentary assessment (EMA) procedures to examine direct and naturalistic associations between cannabis and ENDS use.

The project deliverables include controlled laboratory testing using a double-blind, placebo-controlled design with 78 participants (39 males, 39 females) to assess how vaporized cannabis administration at varying doses (0mg, 15mg, and 35mg delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) directly impacts ENDS use behavior, supplemented by 14-day EMA data collection to examine cannabis as a proximal risk factor for naturalistic ENDS use in daily life. The research specifically addresses sex-based differences in substance co-use patterns and seeks to establish associations between controlled laboratory observations and real-world behavior, addressing a documented gap in understanding of nicotine-cannabis co-use mechanisms and health outcomes related to tobacco use disorder and cannabis use disorder.