In yet another sign that cannabis has achieved growing legitimacy, you can now receive a degree in cannabis.
Responding to popular demand, Colorado State University-Pueblo will begin offering a cannabis-related degree program this fall.
If you think that sounds like some easy credits, think again: the focus is on the science of cannabis, specifically chemistry and biology, with some math and physics added in for good measure. “Rigorous” is the word used by the school administration to describe the program.
With Colorado having been among the first states to legalize recreational use, there’s a demand for knowledge across both the marijuana and hemp industries, and for a fuller understanding of the effects of both. CSU is already the home to the Institute of Cannabis Research, which gets regular inquiries about curriculum and training from various stakeholders in the industry.
Other colleges including the University of Northern Michigan and the University of North Dakota offer bachelor’s programs in medicinal plant chemistry, and the University of Maryland has a related graduate program, but this is believed the be the first cannabis-specific undergraduate track. The curriculum will launch with nine courses, and CSU-Pueblo expects 15 students in the first year and 60 enrollees by year four.
School administrators believe the degree program will prepare students for careers well beyond the cannabis industry, including agriculture, food sciences, biochemistry and environmental sciences. And they are quick to point out that the program is not intended to be either pro- or anti-cannabis, but simply an effort to better understand the science behind it.
Brytemap is excited to see individual states acknowledging medicinal properties of marijuana and the importance of correlating higher education.