Education - Can You Major In Marijuana?

cannabis education in college

With the growth of the cannabis industry, different work opportunities are opening up for well-trained professionals. Aside from this, the growth of medicinal marijuana has required the need for more researchers and studies into the natural herb. Despite the fact that there are still a lot of things to be worked on, there are still educational lines that favor marijuana. Read on as we answer the question of the possibility of majoring in marijuana as well as other degrees around cannabis.

Can you major in marijuana?

The University of Maryland in 2019 announced that its pharmacy school will be offering a graduate degree in medical cannabis. This move by the university came as a turnaround from its stance 2 years before when the program was proposed. Many believe the change by the university at that time was due to interference by the Attorney General of the state at that time. The school offers a Master of Science in Medical cannabis science and therapeutics. Students of the program will be taught how to treat patients with holistic medical marijuana methods. They will also be equipped with the right knowledge to make them capable to participate in marijuana research.

The program offered by the University of Maryland was the first accredited graduate program in medical marijuana. It is also the first in a major university in the US which answers the question of whether it is possible to major in marijuana. Admission into the program is available for anyone w h an undergraduate degree and is interested in the program. Marijuana use is legal in Maryland which is why the laws in the state make it convenient for the program to be done in the university.

There are also different types of degrees related to marijuana that are offered by some universities. Northern Michigan University offers an undergraduate major in medicinal plant chemistry. The subjects underneath include the business and chemistry of marijuana and other science courses such as organic chemistry, botany, and plant physiology. Students at the end of this program are equipped to conduct researches on marijuana. They can also opt to open up personal marijuana-related businesses.

Oaksterdam University in California also offers certificate programs in subjects related to marijuana. These certificate programs prepare students to have career opportunities in the marijuana industry. Students are faced with the choice of opting for a program around the business side of marijuana or horticulture. The business side of the program has to do with the regulations surrounding cannabis as well as the management side. The horticulture side attends to the peculiarities that have to do with growing marijuana. This type of program also exists in the Cleveland School of Cannabis located in Ohio where online courses are also available.

Other available opportunities include the University of Vermont that offers various certificates and online programs around cannabis. The university offers Cannabis Science and Medicine professional certificates and Cannabis Plant Biology certificates. The Florida Gulf Coast University also offers a cannabis studies program that helps students know all there is to know about the marijuana industry. Students are also taught about the horticulture, botany, and pharmacology aspects of cannabis. Other available courses include Cannabusiness and Marijuana Law.

Issues surrounding education in marijuana

The reason for these limited educational opportunities around cannabis is because of the peculiarities still surrounding marijuana. The scheduling of cannabis as a Schedule 1 narcotic drug means that there are limits to how far educational institutions can go. This is why many schools are largely restricted to having online classes and some of the degrees available are not directly centered around cannabis. Schools in states where cannabis is not legal too are not able to run such cannabis programs which makes offering cannabis courses an issue.

Some schools are also apprehensive towards offering cannabis courses because of the issue of researches. Many of these institutions run on federal grants and running a program on cannabis might be seen in direct opposition of the stance of the FDA. This puts such grants in jeopardy and also places some other sources of funding in jeopardy.

The evolution of the cannabis industry means that the academic institutions need to evolve too in order to keep up. As it stands, these issues are keeping the academic institutions from keeping up.

Merits of marijuana education

The growth of marijuana education does a world of good both for the marijuana industry and those outside. The presence of well-defined academic structures to boost researches done on marijuana increases the scope of such researches. It also helps to ensure proper studies and researches are done into the medicinal herb. This can in turn influence the present policy of the FG on marijuana. It can also encourage more states to open legal markets and allow other schools to follow suit.

The growth of the cannabis industry has increased the demand for workforce. However, the needed standardization of the industry requires that well-trained hands are placed at the helm of affairs. This is where marijuana education attends to the demands of the industry. These academic institutions ensure that those going into the industry know all the necessary things that can help them be an addition to the industry. The industry on the other hand provides high paying jobs for different opportunities in the industry.

Bottom line

The marijuana industry is a huge player in the economy right now which means it cannot easily be tossed aside. With the lingering decriminalization of cannabis by the FG set to go in no time, it’s the right time for growth in academics around marijuana. Top universities will be sure to follow suit and provide opportunities for students to learn more about marijuana and be a benefit to the industry. However, as it stands, there are limited educational opportunities for marijuana but students can make use of those available for now. In no time, there will be more marijuana courses in more academic institutions to cater for all the needs of the industry.