Cannabis industries right now are on the rise. Universities, colleges, and other learning institutes all over the United States of America now offer professional marijuana courses and programs.
These schools offer an assortment of cannabis-focused undergraduate degree programs (four-year course), certification modules, and even graduate programs. These include:
- Northern Michigan University
- College of Southern Nevada
- The University of Denver
- Florida Gulf Coast University
The Marijuana (MJ) businesses are looking closely at these programs and trends for several reasons. First, there are very few professionals in the advanced fields of MJ studies, such as cannabis technology, cannabis business, and cannabis law. It could also take away the stigma of the MJ industries if well-established schools are offering such programs. It could also help move federal cannabis progress. Such industries could also give employment opportunities for different sectors, especially the legal cannabis industries all over the country.
A Brief History
Before, the only institution that got federal approval to research on cannabis is the University of Mississippi. They can grow the marijuana plant in their facility without any hassles to go through the bureaucracy. Recently, some insititutions are now researching on hemp. Even the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is now planning to proceed and expand its research on the marijuana plant.
Domestic Setup, International Opportunity
According to experts, colleges or universities where cannabis is not yet legal, but still offers MJ courses show clearly that the marijuana industry is indeed global. California-based company, Green Flower Media will be offering job opportunities for their students. The same way tech companies sponsor students to study and work for their company after graduation. The CEO and co-founder of Green Fower Media are Mr. Max Simon. His company is a cannabis education program company that works with universities and colleges on their marijuana curriculum.
Cannabis professionals are very few for now. But this is a start, so in the future, we can expect more people to take this path.
There are opportunities to work in the business sector, in the legal and compliance sector, in horticulture, and in the medical sector.
Difficulties and Obstacles
UC Davis (University of California at Davis) has established a Cannabis and Hemp Research Center. It is the perfect example of the collaborative of what the MJ industry can give. It collaborates research around possible environmental and health impacts, functions, social repercussions and legal and public policy.
As Max Simon puts it, these programs are very promising, but its success highly depends on the attitude and approach of people towards it. Let’s face it; there are still many who looks at the program from a cynical point of view. As most school administrators’ thoughts would be “this will lead to students using outrageous amounts of marijuana!”
Professor Andrea Holmes is an organic chemistry teacher who founded two cannabis companies based in Denver. According to Dr. Holmes, her struggles are both coming from pressures within the university and outside of it. But eventually, she decided to stay in this industry to further educate people about marijuana.
Cresco Labs, Senior Vice President, Barrington Rutherford, is hopeful that the people or society should acknowledge the cannabis industry for its contributions. They should give high commendations to Industries that sponsor colleges. Perhaps, a time will come where they will name a college business school after a U.S. cannabis company.
Cornell University is offering a course “Cannabis: Biology, Society and Industry.” It focuses on the history, culture, breeding, horticulture, legal challenges associated with cannabis and pharmacology. According to Rutherford, many major corporations have a time-honored relationship with schools. Meeting with faculty, human resources, and the director is a good start if you want to start a program in schools. Many schools are very responsive.
Opportunities and Even more Opportunities!
Cresco and Green Flower emphasized the significance of working directly not just with higher rank institutions, but also at the community college level. You can start cannabis-focused programs here.
Rutherford cites that the community college hub is a part of Cresco’s Social Equity & Educational Development (SEED) program. It focuses particularly on places with sizeable minority inhabitants.
These students will be educated then trained to get jobs for the cannabis industry. These jobs are very promising. One can start as a simple worker in this field and work your way up the occupation ladder. The jobs that the cannabis industry can offer are reputable jobs that earn respectable wages. It can be on a private farm, a laboratory, in the community, or a corporate office. You can start your career here!
The Future of MJ Education
Cannabis programs are now available everywhere. It also includes states where cannabis is not yet legal. Let’s say, for example, Doane University in Nebraska. They are offering an online program where the basic science, and methods of cultivating, and processing of marijuana are covered. It also discusses the regulations of hemp and marijuana. There are already 700 enrollees for the program.
They called it “Cannabis Science and Industries: Seeds to Needs.” It is a certificate program designed to meet the need for professionals across the agricultural aspect of Marijuana, the ways to process the product, its wellness attributes, and the sectors that use it for manufacture.
As a growing industry, there is a foreseeable future for MJ professionals. To qualify, here is where we step in; certification and training are essential for such a workforce.
