New York universities increase cannabis courses

Following the legalization of adult cannabis use by the State of New York, several colleges and universities are now adding cannabis courses to their curricula, responding to a growing demand from students looking to enter this job market, announced the New York Post. The training available covers areas as diverse as agriculture, law, biology, medicine or management.

Currently, 10 campus different public universities SUNY – The State University of New York – offer courses on cannabis. The number of cannabis courses, certificates and internship and training programs offered to students will “absolutely” increase to prepare students for new jobs in the emerging cannabis industry, said SUNY Dean James Malatras.

“Our mission is to give students access to meet the demand of the workforce,” Malatras told the New York Post. “This is not a simple matter. This is a seismic change in the law,” he added.

O campus SUNY Farmingdale is offering a new Certificate of Cannabis Production and Management, which was just approved by the state Department of Education in February. For its part, Morrisville College has launched a 15-credit secondary degree program for the Cannabis Industry, launched in Fall 2019.

Stony Brook U. also offers a biology course entitled “Cannabis: History, Culture, Science and Medicinal Uses”, while the Finger Lakes Community College Horticulture program just added the Cannabis Biology and Cultivation course to its curriculum. .

But it is not just the public university that is investing in this educational aspect. New York's top private colleges also see opportunities in cannabis.

NYU's Stern School Business has initiated a “CannaBusiness” for students and alumni that “will provide unparalleled access to industry professionals and corporate sponsors through networking promoted by Stern and panels on how to advance your career”, can be read on the college's website.

Meanwhile, Ithaca-based Cornell University, which has a strong agricultural research program supporting the farm-rich interior, offers a course entitled "Cannabis: Biology, Society and Industry."

O Online Excelsior College it also considerably increased its offer of courses and Masters in cannabis, with a certificate in “Cannabis Control”, and expanded its training classes in this area.

“We are in the space to educate people about the cannabis industry. Cannabis will be a multibillion-dollar industry in New York by 2025,” Scott Dolan, dean of the Excelsior College degree program, told the New York Post. Dolan also said that graduate students will be able to learn about the complexities in which the cannabis industry will have to operate, including complying with various government regulations.

In addition to cannabis growers, suppliers and direct sellers, Dolan said managers, lawyers, healthcare professionals and people in the insurance industry can benefit from the courses, which address social equity, environmental sustainability, corporate responsibility and public finance.

With full legalization approved in New York, cannabis is expected to be sold in local and specialty stores as early as next year.