Higher education is taking on a whole new meaning in New York after the legalisation of recreational marijuana use across the state.
New York colleges are offering new cannabis degrees as legalisation moves forward
The economic and social impact of legalisation in New York State is already visible even in education. Colleges and universities are adding new cannabis courses to their syllabus in order to prepare students for jobs in this huge industry.
And they are not just offering lessons on the history of marijuana. The online university Excelsior College, for example, is promoting marijuana master's programmes leading to a graduate certificate in Cannabis Control.
"We are in the space to educate people about the cannabis industry. Cannabis is going to be a multibillion dollar industry in New York by 2025", said Scott Dolan, dean of the graduate programme at Excelsior College. Dolan explained that graduate students will learn about the complexities the industry will have to operate within, including compliance with the many government regulations.
The impact on jobs is not only going to affect growers, suppliers and direct marijuana sellers. Other kinds of professionals will be needed too, such as accountants, lawyers, healthcare professionals or people from the insurance industry. Professionals like these will also be able to take courses on social equity, environmental sustainability, corporate responsibility and public finance.
Marijuana is also becoming fertile ground for New York's public university systems, whose faculties offer degrees in agriculture and law, biology, medicine and business. Right now, 10 different campuses offer courses related to the marijuana and hemp industries, and the number of courses, certificates and programmes is going to grow considerably.
SUNY's Farmingdale campus, for example, offers a new Cannabis Production and Handling Certificate, approved by the state Department of Education. Meanwhile, SUNY's Morrisville College, in the north of the state, launched a 15 credit bachelor's programme in the cannabis industry for the first time in the autumn of 2019. Another university that has joined the shift is Stony Brook, which offers a biology course called "Cannabis: History, Culture, Science and Medicinal Uses".
But this shift is not only happening at public universities: New York's biggest private universities also see opportunities in the grass. NY's Stern School of Business launched a "CannaBusiness" for students and alumni that will provide unrivalled access to industry professionals and corporate sponsors through networking events.
Meanwhile, Cornell University, based in Ithaca and with a solid agricultural research programme, offers a course called "Cannabis: Biology, Society and Industry". It looks like legalisation is already having an impact on the New York education system, where millions of jobs are expected to be created.
How long do you reckon is left before legalisation in Spain? If there were proper official training, would you sign up? Let us know what you think.
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