Business
Cultivating Your Curriculum
Cannabis curriculum in college has erupted in popularity and recently has become more diverse and competitive. Cannabis college campuses exist in many forms—for instance, some are accredited by various organizations and others are more geared toward job placement. Whatever your ultimate goal in academia is, CULTURE compiled a list of the best cannabis colleges that have just begun their fall courses.
CANNABIS-ONLY COLLEGES
Est. 1998
Although the name of this institution is simple, Cannabis College is one of the oldest cannabis colleges around. Cannabis College opened in 1998 in where else, but Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The college is a nonprofit organization smack dab in the middle of where it all started on the European side. Learn cultivation, history, activism and earn your Cannabis College Diploma.
Est. 2013
Boasted as the world’s leading online cannabis school, Cannabis Training University is affordable and informative. Unlike other online cannabis schools, Cannabis Training University offers students high-quality HD video and 24-hour support. As a student, you’ll have access to exclusive reading material from master grower Ed Rosenthal.
Cleveland Cannabis College (CCC)
Est. 2017
CCC is one of the newest brick-and-mortar cannabis schools. “Intro to Medical Cannabis” is a pre-requisite course before any intermediate classes can be taken. Students then choose their major which includes the options of horticulture, cannabis business, medical applications and elective classes.
Est. 2013
Sit-down style classes are held in Denver, Colorado at Clover Leaf University, which is regulated and licensed by the Department of Higher Education’s Private Occupational School Board. Classes include cannabis consulting, cultivation, cannabis science and testing, infusions, cannabis culinary art, continued legal education classes, extraction and vendor training.
Est. 2013
Green CulturED offers heavy, hands-on cannabis business-oriented training. Get certified in cannabis-specific areas such as cultivation and budtending, which help students land highly-competitive jobs in the cannabis industry. Green CulturED gives you the options of monthly tuition or a one-time permanent tuition option.
Est. 2010
Garberville-based Humboldt Cannabis College educates the next generation of Northern Californian cannabis farmers each year. Check for classes held in various locations throughout the Emerald Triangle. Courses cover horticulture, history, law and activism.
Northeastern Institute of Cannabis (NIC)
Est. 2014
Located in Natick, Massachusetts, the NIC offers a unique 12-course competency program that begins with Medical Marijuana 101. Compliance, business concepts, history, infusions, media and horticulture are also covered.
Est. 2007
Founded over 10 years ago, over 30,000 alumni have graduated from Oaksterdam University based in Oakland. The school now employs over 150 faculty members teaching horticulture, lab and grow room design, history, law, economics and science. As the first brick-and-mortar cannabis school in America, Oaksterdam is one of the more trusted names in American cannabis education.
Est. 2014
Colorado-based THC University offers courses, which include marijuana 101, trichome budtender, horticulture specialist and grow basics by Jorge Cervantes, colorado safety and regulations, Washington safety and regulations and more. Students usually finish the curriculum at THC University in only three to six months, making it ideal for busy entrepreneurs and professionals.
Est. 2014
Denver-based Trichome Institute’s courses are certified by The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment and the Marijuana Enforcement Division. The school also hosts the world’s only cannabis sommelier program, Interpening®, as well as a cannabis quality certification system called TAG. Trichome Institute also offers responsible vendor training cannabis product and sales training.
CANNABIS PROGRAMS & COURSES
Dunlap-Stone University, in association with the Cannabis Career Institute (CCI) launched this cannabis course in 2015. You can enter into a degree in Bachelors of Health Administration with a Specialization in Cannabinoid Therapies, or a Bachelors of Business with a Specialization in Cannabis Operations. The courses are recognized by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) and the U.S. Department of Education.
Harvard Law School is the apex of Ivy League education. Many apply and few are chosen. But in 2013, Harvard Law School announced an unusual seminar: “Tax Planning for Marijuana Dealers,” was held in Spring 2014 and hosted by Associate Prof. Benjamin Moses Leff. The course dissects Section 280-E of the federal tax code and all of its implications.
Of course Humboldt State University offers its own cannabis course. The Humboldt Institute for Interdisciplinary Marijuana Research was formed in 2012. The course covers the social fabric of the regional cannabis industry.
Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law
“Marijuana Law, Policy and Reform” was purportedly the first university course in America to be strictly devoted to cannabis in 2013, although some levels of cannabis instruction existed before. The seminar is taught by Douglas A. Berman, Professor of Law. The rigorous course will go through state-level cannabis reform and how race, gender and bioethics “intersect” in the cannabis community.
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy began signing up prospective students on June 29. The school will offer online classes which will certify those who wish to be involved in Maryland’s medical cannabis program.
University of Denver Sturm College of Law
“Representing the Marijuana Client” is a course intended for law students who plan on defending clients with cannabis convictions in the future. Students go over the realities of representing a client with cannabis ties. The class is worth three college credits.
University of Vermont College of Medicine’s Department of Pharmacology
“Medical Cannabis” will cover the medical science behind cannabis, the first medical school to do so. Course material is taught by Karen Lounsbury, PhD, and Wolfgang Dostmann, PhD.
