UCI Center for the Study of Cannabis

In case you missed it from ICAL: New publication! Protocol for administering Δ9-THC in adolescent & adult mice, showing effects on catalepsy, locomotion, and pain — with safe, legal handling tips. 🔬💊

Link here: app.jove.com/t/68358/admi...

🎙️ New Science at the Source!

Dr. Hilary Marusak + Rodrigo M. Klein, PhD (UC Irvine) on how THC impacts the developing brain.

🧠 Resilience & risk
👩🔬 Microglia & endocannabinoid system
🌍 Context & cannabis use

👉 Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oap6...

📢 Cannabis researchers: UCI ICAL Tissue Bank 🧠🫀
Brain & organs from THC/vehicle-treated mice/rats, prepped for molecular studies. FREE, shipping included, no DEA needed. ⚠️ First-come, first-served!
cannabis.uci.edu/ical/tissueb...

🚨 New Science at the Source!

Dr. Hilary Marusak talks with Dr. Christine Gall (UC Irvine) on how adolescent THC impacts memory, sex differences, and brain health.

🎥 youtu.be/iBdVUbXZNOA

#THC #AdolescentBrain #Memory #ScienceAtTheSource

Welcome to another enlightening episode of Science at the Source! In this episode, Dr. Hilary Marusak engages with Dr. Kwang-Mook Jung, a pioneering researcher exploring the intersection of… THC Exposure and Metabolic Health with Dr. Kwang-Mook Jung | Science at the Source Ep. 3

🚨 Still thinking about this convo with Maricela Martinez.

What if the key to understanding addiction risk lies in the brain’s immune cells?
Episode 6 of Science at the Source dives into microglia, adolescence, and how early drug exposure may prime the brain.

🎥 youtu.be/RO_g9KTaMCA

#Microglia #THC

🚨 Save the Date! 🚨
The MACRC 2025 Conference — the first official ICRS Chapter meeting 🍃
📅 Nov 14–16, 2025 | 📍 Kitty Hawk, NC
Abstracts & registration open (early bird thru Sept 21)!
👉 www.m-acrc.org

#CannabinoidResearch #MACRC2025 #ICRS

Welcome back to Science at the Source! 🎙️ In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Steve Mahler, neuroscientist and Professor at UC Irvine, to explore how the brain’s motivation and reward systems are… Exploring Motivation, Cannabinoids, and the Brain with Dr. Steve Mahler| Science at the Source Ep. 5

🚨 Rewind to Science at the Source Ep. 5
Dr. Steve Mahler breaks down the neuroscience of craving, THC, and motivation—and what it means for cannabis use and addiction treatment. Still thinking about this one.
🎥 www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ImB...
IG → @uci_cannabis #CannabisResearch #MotivationAndReward

ICAL Tissue Bank - UCI Center for the Study of Cannabis ICAL Tissue Bank ICAL maintains a biobank of brain and peripheral organs collected from mice and rats treated in adolescence with D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or vehicle. Both male and female…

🚨 Cannabis researchers: Need THC-exposed brain or organ samples? 🧠🫀

The UCI ICAL Tissue Bank offers FREE tissues (U.S. & abroad), no DEA license needed.
Brain tissue = high demand—act fast! 📩

🔗 cannabis.uci.edu/ical/tissueb...

@uci_cannabis #CannabisResearch #THCResearch

🧪 New ICAL protocol paper: Standardized methods for administering THC to adolescent & adult mice.

Includes prep, legal compliance, and key readouts: catalepsy, locomotion, nociception.
🔗 app.jove.com/t/68358

🧠 Essential for modeling developmental effects of cannabis.
#THC #CannabisResearch #ICAL

🚨 Vaping THC ≠ smoking it.

In Science at the Source Ep. 4, Dr. Alexa Torrens breaks down how vaping affects the teen brain—& why the nose matters more than you think.

Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9hc...
Follow → @uci_cannabis

#CannabisResearch #THCVaping #AdolescentBrain #ScienceAtTheSource

🎙️ Revisit this must-hear convo! Dr. Hilary Marusak talks with Dr. Kwang-Mook Jung about adolescent THC exposure & long-term metabolic health.

🔥 Why are cannabis users leaner?
🧬 How THC alters fat & energy use?
🌿 Endocannabinoid insights await.

🎧 youtu.be/RO_g9KTaMCA
#ScienceAtTheSource #THC

ICAL Tissue Bank - UCI Center for the Study of Cannabis ICAL Tissue Bank ICAL maintains a biobank of brain and peripheral organs collected from mice and rats treated in adolescence with D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or vehicle. Both male and female…

🚨 Researchers! Free brain & peripheral tissues from adolescent THC-exposed rodents via the ICAL Tissue Bank at UCI.

✅ No DEA license needed
✅ Great for pilot data & grants
🌍 Open globally (shipping not covered)

Apply early—high demand!
🔗 cannabis.uci.edu/ical/tissueb...
#CannabisResearch #THC

🌿 Re-sharing this fascinating episode!
Is cannabis a psychedelic?

Dr. Daniele Piomelli explores this question in a 20-minute lecture from our Science at the Source series.

Watch (or re-watch) now ➡️ youtu.be/G0tagjX8COw

#CannabisResearch #Psychedelics #Neuroscience #ICAL

🌿 How does cannabis impact the brain across the lifespan?

🎥 Check out Science at the Source from UC Irvine’s ICAL.
Dr. Daniele Piomelli breaks it down.

👉 Watch: youtu.be/Px45H-wuROA

Follow: @uci_cannabis

#CannabisResearch #ICAL #ScienceAtTheSource

🚨 Researchers! Access FREE brain & organ tissues from adolescent THC-exposed rodents via the ICAL Tissue Bank @ UCI. No DEA license needed. Great for pilot data & grant apps. Apply now—brain tissues go fast! 📦 cannabis.uci.edu/ical/tissueb... #CannabisResearch #THC

🧠 FAAH inhibitors may offer a new path for PTSD treatment. A 2023 preclinical study from ICAL shows that boosting endocannabinoid signaling with novel FAAH blockers (ARN14633 & ARN14280) ⬇️ anxiety-like behavior in rats exposed to predator stress. No major side effects.
🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s002...

🧬 Recent ICAL study: THC reduces pain in a humanized mouse model of sickle cell disease.
Acute THC eased mechanical + cold hypersensitivity without affecting memory or anxiety.
Chronic use helped too—but tolerance emerged.
🔗 doi.org/10.1124/jpet...
#SCD #CannabisResearch #THC #PainScience #ICAL #UCI

🧬 New ICAL study: Adolescent THC exposure in male mice led to lower sperm count, testicular damage, and hormone disruption—effects not seen with adult exposure. Adolescence may be a critical window of vulnerability.

📄 doi.org/10.1093/toxs...
#CannabisResearch #ReproductiveHealth #THC #Adolescent

🎙️ New ep!
Microglia, addiction, & early career science w/ Maricela Martinez (@ucirvine PhD student)

🧠 Brain-immune circuits in adolescence
🌿 How THC, nicotine, opioids affect microglia
🔁 Can we reset drug-altered brain immunity?

🎧 Listen: www.youtube.com/watch?v=koYL...
#Neuroimmunology

🎙️ New Science at the Source episode!

Dr. Hilary Marusak talks with Dr. Steve Mahler (UC Irvine) about THC, craving, and the brain’s reward systems. 🎧 Don’t miss this deep dive into addiction + cannabis research.

🔗 www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ImB...
@uci_cannabis #Neuroscience #THC

🚨 WE’RE MOVING! 🚨
Stay connected with the UCI Center for the Study of Cannabis 🌿🧠
Follow us for updates, research, and events:

📸 Instagram: @uci_cannabis
🌤️ Bluesky: @UCICANNABIS
▶️ YouTube: @ucicenterforthestudyofcann5100
💼 LinkedIn: @UCICANNABIS

🔍 Follow us and stay tuned!

🧠 New from ICAL: Microglia & Addiction Risk

ICYMI—Drs. Martinez & Mahler explore how adolescent drug use may alter microglial function + raise long-term addiction risk.

📖: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
🎙️ Author interview coming soon!
📲 IG: @uci_cannabis | BlueSky: @ucicannabis.bsky.social

🚨 YouTube Talk
Can cannabis help manage chronic pain? 🌿🧠
Dr. Daniele Piomelli (UCI) explains how THC interacts with cannabinoid receptors to relieve pain.
🔥 Topics:
✅ How THC eases pain
✅ Cannabinoid receptors
✅ Scientific evidence + mechanisms

📺: www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7T1...

⭐ There is still time to register⭐

The International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) will host its 35th annual Symposium from July 6-10, 2025 – in Bloomington, Indiana.

Don't miss it!

Learn more and register: www.icrs.com/2025-symposium

Watch the renowned researcher behind cannabis and palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), Dr. Daniele Piomelli, detail the history, science, health benefits and ongoing... Science Behind PEA with Dr. Daniele Piomelli

ICAL Director Dr. Daniele Piomelli explores PEA — a compound key for inflammation, pain relief, and the endocannabinoid system.
🔥 Topics:
✅ PEA’s science & history
✅ ECS interactions
✅ Health benefits & research

📺 Watch now:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPoHFIrIHC0

🚗💨 Workshop Video! 💨🚗
How does cannabis affect driving? UCI’s Center for the Study of Cannabis dives into this complex issue with experts from UC, AAA, policy, and law.

📺 Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1hM...
📲 Follow: @ucicannabis.bsky.social

#CannabisAndDriving

Nasal accumulation and metabolism of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol following aerosol ('vaping') administration in an adolescent rat model - PubMed Passive aerosol exposure to Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in laboratory animals results in faster onset of action and less extensive liver metabolism compared to most other administration…

🚨 ICAL research spotlight🚨

Vaped THC in adolescent rats leads to high nasal accumulation and local metabolism—suggesting the nose plays a bigger role than we thought in THC delivery to the brain. 🧠👃

📄 Torrens et al. 2023, Pharmacol Res
🔗 PMID:

🚨 New Science at the Source! 🎥

Dr. Hilary Marusak & Dr. Alexa Torrens (UC-Irvine ICAL) explore how vaping cannabis impacts the adolescent brain 🧠💨

📺 Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9hc...
📲 Follow: @uci_cannabis | @ucicannabis.bsky.social

#CannabisResearch #THC #Vaping

Join the UCI Center for the Study of Cannabis workshop on Cannabis and Driving, featuring Dr. Marilyn Huestis! She’s an expert on the effects of cannabis use while driving and cannabinoid pharmacology.

📺 Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JZL...

#CannabisResearch #DrivingSafety #UCI

🎥 The Health Impact of Cannabis – A talk by Dr. Daniele Piomelli, Director of the UCI Center for the Study of Cannabis. Learn about cannabis and its effects on health from a leading expert!

📺 Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8-F...

#CannabisResearch #Neuroscience #EndocannabinoidSystem #UCI