The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is sponsoring research into medications that can be used to treat individuals who have become dependent upon marijuana.

Grants will be awarded for "preclinical and clinical research directed towards the identification, evaluation and development of safe and effective medications for the treatment of Cannabis Related Disorders (CRDs) and their medical and psychiatric consequences."

"NIDA is encouraging research in this area because there is a high prevalence of marijuana use in the general population accompanied with an increasing misperception that its use poses low health risk, there is limited research in this area, and there are no effective pharmacological treatments available for these disorders," the agency noted.

Nonprofits, schools, government agencies, tribes, and for-profit firms may apply for funding.

Awards will be made under NIDA's R21 and R01 funding mechanisms. For more details, see the full grant announcements online.