Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) awarded a $211,680 Project Grant to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) on August 1, 2026, under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279) to characterize hemp-derived alternative cannabinoid product use in real-world environments through mixed-methods research. The five-year project (completion July 31, 2031) will conduct two complementary national studies: an online survey and a six-month naturalistic ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study involving U.S. adults who use either alternative cannabinoids or traditional cannabis at least four days per week. Researchers will assess use contexts (social and physical environment, legal and practical accessibility), use characteristics (craving, co-use patterns), post-use effects (objective impairment and subjective effects), and use motives through qualitative interviews. The research addresses a significant gap in the literature, given that alternative cannabinoid sales increased 1,283 percent between 2020 and 2023, reaching nearly $2.8 billion, and 20 percent of cannabis users in 2023 reported cross-utilization of both traditional and alternative cannabinoids.

This K23 Career Development Award positions MUSC to deliver empirical evidence on how environmental contexts influence alternative cannabinoid use patterns and effects, with data collection consisting of standardized self-report assessments and EMA bursts conducted every two months throughout the study period. The findings will inform public health understanding of this rapidly expanding and largely unregulated market segment within the context of federal cannabis policy and state-level hemp legalization frameworks established by the 2018 Agriculture Improvement Act.