OU Researcher Receives CDC Grant on Cannabis Workers

Hongwan Li's R21 award from the CDC's NIOSH will fund study of occupational health risks in Oklahoma's cannabis industry.

Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Botany

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of stainless-steel drying racks in a utilitarian room beneath an overhead ventilation duct, rendered in deep red, cream, and slate. — Oklahoma researcher Hongwan Li received a CDC NIOSH R21 award to expand study of occupational health risks for the state's cannabis workers. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Do you think Oklahoma's cannabis workers face serious job health risks?

Hongwan Li, an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma's Hudson College of Public Health, has received an R21 research award from the CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The award will expand on earlier pilot research into occupational exposures tied to cannabis cultivation and processing across Oklahoma.

Why it matters

The project focuses on workplace conditions and potential hazards facing cannabis industry employees in Oklahoma, a state with a large and growing cannabis sector. Its stated aim is to identify strategies that reduce occupational health risks and improve workplace safety.

The grant is an R21 exploratory award, a mechanism typically used to fund early-stage research, and the source does not disclose its dollar value. What the study will find about specific exposures and hazards among Oklahoma cannabis workers has not yet been determined.

The players

Hongwan Li

Li is an assistant professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of Oklahoma's Hudson College of Public Health, and leads the research.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

NIOSH is the U.S. federal agency within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that conducts research and makes recommendations to prevent work-related injury and illness.

The details

The R21 award will allow Li and her team to build on previous pilot research examining workplace conditions in the cannabis industry. The work will cover cultivation, processing and other industry activities across Oklahoma.

Article announcing the award published November 12, 2026.

Seasonal Patterns

The study extends NIOSH's exploratory occupational health portfolio into a newly legal industry whose workforce has far less federal research history than sectors such as mining or agriculture. It adds Oklahoma cannabis workers to a body of occupational health evidence that is still being built.

Cannabis workers in Oklahoma may see future occupational safety recommendations if the study identifies hazards. The project's findings could eventually inform workplace protections for those employed in cultivation and processing.

The takeaway

Workplace safety research is expanding into newly legal industries, and Oklahoma's cannabis workforce is now part of that effort. Readers interested in occupational health can watch for findings that may shape practical safety guidance for cannabis employers and workers.