Many industries today face the need for people with proper knowledge in a controversial domain – weed. For this reason, the number of universities that provide Cannabis 101 training and courses has increased lately.

When it comes to cannabis, many people’s first thought is probably related to events with negative impact. But this is not the case of certain top universities throughout the US. In the past few years, universities have met an increased demand for training people and teaching them about cannabis.

A change was needed

For instance, in 2013, the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute from the University of Washington was provided by the Washington Attorney General’s Office with funds in order to start the development process of some training modules for specialists in health and offer them the possibility to obtain continuing education credit. One of these modules was about to teach specialists about the effects of cannabis on the human body and about its uses. Another module was about to offer them details on the best clinical practices in the field.

It’s true that marijuana is legal in Washington and can be freely consumed in its both medicinal and recreational forms, but little is known about its health benefits. Worth mentioning is that before 1942 cannabis prescription was legal, but the great majority of today’s doctors know nothing about the benefits of cannabis and to what extent it can be prescribed as medicine.

Many studies revealed the benefits cannabis can have over someone suffering from Parkinson for instance or from other illnesses or diseases. Yet, there is little known about this aspect and very few doctors specialized in this field. This is the reason why a change was needed.

Learning about cannabis

UC Davis School of Medicine for example has a course on the physiology of cannabis, where professor Yu-Fung Lin teaches students about the impact cannabinoids and cannabis have over the human body. Also, the course tackles aspects such as the therapeutic properties and physiological impact of the plant, as well as its history. This is the first class on cannabis 101 included in the educational system at the University of California.

Another opportunity for those interested in learning everything it is to know about cannabis is Hofstra University in Hempstead, Long Island, where students have the chance to attend cannabis law classes. It is one of the first universities in the country to implement such courses several years ago.

Starting off the spring of 2017, Daniels College of Business from Denver University included a cannabis business class, where students can learn about marketing a controversial plant within very restrictive rules. Worth mentioning is that this is not their only class focused on cannabis, as they have two more classes on cannabis journalism and marijuana law. Those interested in learning more about cannabis specifically in one of these domains, now have an academic space to do it.

At an international level, the Cannabis College located in Amsterdam is one good choice as well. It was founded more than 20 years ago and it provides a wide range of classes, although it’s important to know that this is more like a learning center and not a program that offers you a degree or diploma at the end of the courses.

A highly demanding market

Marijuana companies are interested in hiring people with vast knowledge in the field, who know everything about this plant, starting with terminology and going on to its history, basics and regulatory framework. Business managers, accountants and lawyers specialized in this particular field are needed in top companies.

As weird as this may sound, cannabis is one of the hottest topics nowadays and companies not only from the US, but from the rest of the world as well are interested in hiring professionals who possess industry-specific knowledge.