Universities in the United States are beginning to offer degree courses on cannabis.
Students can now apply for a Master of
Science degree in medical cannabis science and therapeutics at the University
of Maryland, which is piloting the new course.
The course will act as a vital path
for students with a bachelor’s degree who want to enter the rapidly-emerging
cannabis industry in North America.
The new cannabis degree is the first
of its kind in the country with studies beginning September 2020. The cut-off date
for applicants is April 15 2020.
Natalie D Eddington, PhD, Dean of
Maryland’s School of Pharmacy, revealed
how the course has been “critically designed” to prepare students to meet the
level of demand for educated workers in the cannabis industry.
“Innovations in instructional design
throughout the curriculum will provide students with the knowledge and skills
needed to make a positive impact on communities across the United States,” she
added.
The course is tailored to teach students about a wide array of subjects relevant to the blooming cannabis industry, ranging from knowledge on the medicinal aspects of the plant to future careers as health care professionals, scientists and regulators, or the more business side of the industry such as growers, dispensary owners and policy professionals.
Basic science
The degree includes four courses
on the topics of ‘basic science (pharmacology, chemistry, and medical cannabis
delivery systems), clinical uses (pathophysiology, assessment, and management
of conditions that may be treated by medical cannabis), adverse effects and
public health considerations and federal and state laws and policies’.
Education on the topic of cannabis and
its potential medicinal benefits will be key to global adoption and
recognition. However, it won’t be an easy task as public perception of cannabis
is still tainted from the previous century’s attack on the plant as a harmful
drug.
The cannabis industry is expected to
be worth
$66.3 billion globally by 2025, with the majority of the trade taking place in
Canada and the USA, although Europe is slowly warming to the idea of cannabis
legalisation.
Cannabis is currently legal for
recreational use across 11 states and for medicinal use throughout 33 states,
demonstrating a nationwide softening of views towards the previously illicit
plant.
Lake Superior State University in
Michigan has also launched a cannabis business course designed for “future
managers, supervisors, and business development leaders within a commercial
enterprise”.
The esteemed ivy league Cornell
University recently joined the cannabis education ranks by offering a course
on ‘Cannabis: Biology, Society and Industry’ to those who had already received
a biology degree at university level.
The course notes: “25 out of every 10,000 jobs currently listed are related to the cannabis industry, and from April to May 2018 there was a 50% jump in the number of cannabis related job listings”.
Pot cultivation
Hot on the tail of Canada becoming the
second country to legalise weed on a nationwide level, McGill University in
Montreal has announced it will be offering a graduate degree in cannabis
production next year, as “studying pot cultivation requires a grasp of hardcore
science” said
Anja Geitmann, the dean of the faculty of agricultural and environmental
sciences at McGill University.
The increasing number of universities
and upper education courses in cannabis demonstrates the strength of the
industry and the demand for higher level skills alongside the fundamental core
skills across a variety of topics in relation to cannabis.
Similar to the eSports industry that
has recently seen a rise in popularity, with universities also jumping on the
gaming bandwagon offering degrees related to online competitive gaming,
educational bodies shift with the times to reflect what society will need for a
future workforce, and the cannabis industry is evidently a big part of that.
Why the cannabis industry needs more skilled workers
It’s undeniable to state that cannabis
has a multitude of different medicinal properties, with it being used to treat
epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma and depression, but skilled workers are
needed throughout the industry to ensure patients are getting the most out of
their medicine.
Cannabis that is poorly grown in
improper conditions has the potential to lose levels of THC and CBD, thus
making it less effective when converted into medicine.
This is why it’s important to have
educated people across the entire supply chain, most importantly at the
beginning, in enabling the end product to be as high quality as possible
alongside ensuring the seed, plant and eventual flower are all of optimum
health.
Moreover, cannabis dispensaries are currently all over a number of states in the US, but a vital step forward would be if the dispensary staff were educated with knowledge of the therapeutic effects to a higher level, this would encourage sufferers of an illness to consult a dispensary as opposed to ingesting whichever strain of cannabis is available to them.
Psychoactive effects
The two primary chemical compounds
found in cannabis are CBD and THC. CBD doesn’t have psychoactive effects but it
still has numerous medicinal benefits, while THC is the compound that gets
users ‘high’.
Strains vary in levels of THC and CBD.
Sativa strains typically have higher levels of THC and lower levels of CBD
while indica strains have higher levels of CBD to give the patient a more
relaxed high, concentrating on the sensations in the body over the mind.
With the rise of the recreational use
of cannabis, countless new jobs being created, scientific research pouring over
the medicinal benefits and millions being invested in the cannabis industry, it’s
safe to say that the future will continue to get greener and those making the move
to receive an education in the field will only reap benefits further down the
line.
The new degrees and the subsequent
rise in skilled and educated workers that will come from them shows there is
longevity to the industry and although it may be going through a rocky patch,
like other industries, it will most likely come out the other side and continue
to expand.
