The 2026 Discovery Award Nomination

The Discovery Award honors an individual researcher or research team whose rigorous work expands understanding of cannabis safety and produces evidence that can improve patient care, public education, consumer protection, professional practice, or public policy. Research may address clinical outcomes, product safety, dosing, drug interactions, patterns of use, public health, impairment, contaminants, vulnerable populations, healthcare integration, or other questions with direct relevance to cannabis safety.

Research is central to Cannabis Safety Month because durable solutions require better evidence—not louder arguments. High-quality research can clarify genuine risks, identify where concerns have been overstated or misunderstood, reveal differences between products or populations, and give patients and professionals better information for decision-making.

The future of medical cannabis depends on an expanding evidence base that can support clinical practice, professional education, regulation, product standards, insurance decisions, public policy, and patient care. Researchers recognized by this award are helping turn unanswered questions into knowledge that can guide the field forward.