UCLA said its pot research was independent but hid that Big Cannabis was paying some of the bills

When UCLA started its cannabis research initiative five years ago, the university hailed the undertaking as one of the first academic programs in the world dedicated to studying the health effects of pot. At a New York fundraiser in 2019 hosted by members of the cannabis industry, the UCLA program’s executive director at the time appealed for donations, promising groundbreaking research into pot’s potential to treat a variety of serious diseases, according to a video of the event reviewed by The Times. “Both of these analogies are universally unacceptable because of the self-evident potential conflicts of interest and a legacy where for-profit companies have routinely interfered with the science.” The universities accepting the funds have embarked on research that aims to fill a significant void in scientific knowledge about the health effects of cannabis, a gap caused in part by the federal government’s decades-long classification of cannabis as a Schedule I controlled substance. The Wholistic foundation partners with companies in the cannabis industry to support cannabis research, according to the nonprofit’s website, and said it takes “a ‘venture philanthropy’ approach to our work by identifying the top researchers and having our Medical Advisory Committee collaborate with them in study design.” The foundation is also sponsoring a UC Irvine study into whether CBD and cannabis can effectively treat anxiety. In a statement to The Times on Wednesday, Chen said he “had no financial interests in any cannabis companies while serving as executive director” of UCLA’s program but “did serve in volunteer advisory roles in cannabis-related organizations in areas such as education, research, and event/conference production.” He said that he “never promised positive study outcomes in his research presentations” and that all donors and donations for the program were vetted by an independent UCLA commission, which rejected some.