Do you share the same passion for weed as you do for learning? If so, Colorado State University in Pueblo has a new program just for you.
Last Friday, officials at the university announced that they would offer a Bachelor of Science in Cannabis Biology and Chemistry beginning in the Fall 2020 semester. And as you can tell just by the degree’s name, this isn’t a program for burnout stoners who’d rather veg on the couch over tending a nursery of vegging plants.
“It’s a rigorous degree geared toward the increasing demand coming about because of the cannabis industry,” David Lehmpuhl, CSU-Pueblo’s Dean of College of Science and Mathematics, told The Denver Post. “Hemp and marijuana has really come to the forefront in a lot of economic sectors in the country. We’re not pro-cannabis or anti-cannabis. What we’re about will be the science and training students to look at that science.”
CSU-Pueblo’s cannabis science degree won’t be the nation’s first university-level weed-focused program. Other universities have already offered degrees with a focus in cannabis, such as Northern Michigan University’s Medicinal Plant Chemistry degree or the University of Maryland’s Master of Science in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics.
The first college degrees oriented toward cannabis came from California’s Oaksterdam University, which was founded in 2007. However, Oaksterdam was not, and still isn’t, an accredited school. So while the knowledge it offers is totally legit, many employers in the US may not recognize the degree, nor can the school’s course credits transfer to accredited universities.
