Who says you can’t get a degree in Weed in the DMV?
“You have to be a smoker to understand weed”, said by everyone who is a smoker to anyone who isn’t. Traditionally, it has always been believed that the cannabis world would only ever be understood by fellow cannabis users. The argument that “you can’t understand pot unless you’re a pothead” used to make it a struggle for anyone who just wanted to explore the industry from an educational standpoint but didn’t smoke. Well now thanks to the University of Maryland, that argument is no longer valid.
The state of Maryland now hosts two higher education programs for students wishing to further their learning in cannabis growth and education in partnership with the Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH) program.
In 2019, the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy launched its medical marijuana master’s degree program. The announcement of the program brought in hundreds of applicants from around the country with the university only accepting an initial 150 students for the first semester.
MUIH program is a 15-credit certificate course centered on the holistic use of the marijuana plant as a part of its Professional and Continuing Education Department. The program is both recognized and accredited by the Maryland High Education Commission, which in short means- it’s legit legit!
Apart from learning about the various uses of medicinal cannabis, the program also sheds light on quality assurance and control classes. This ensures that students are current on the safety and security practices and protocols observed in the market today and how companies participating in the manufacturing of these products uphold and maintain quality standards.
The program is geared toward individuals looking to gain more knowledge about the cannabis industry as well as those who have prior clinical knowledge and background in marijuana manufacturing, the course attracts possible job-seekers and entrepreneurs to increase their knowledge base about the plant, uses, and effects of cannabis. In addition, students study the possible benefits of merging cannabis plants alongside other organics.
The post-bacc certificate course opened its doors to 20 students who are expected to complete their education online over the next 12 months. A second set of enrollees are set to join the Maryland University of Integrative Health this month. If you have an extra $13,000 laying around then the graduate program is open for those who want to apply.
The dean of academics John Snow explains the objective.
“We want our students to leave this program understanding the plant, in itself, is not a fix-all product. We want them to have critical thinking about the use of this plant, and a balanced perspective of what we currently know about cannabis, what we don’t know, what it’s limitations are, and how we can have informed conversations about it with the general public.”
Aside from the marijuana-focused program, the partnership will also be working on others such as acupuncture, yoga therapy, health promotion, health and wellness, Ayurveda, and herbal medicine. So whether you are a stoner or just a marijuana enthusiast wanting to increase your knowledge base of cannabis seriously, the state of Maryland is plowing the way for Mid-Atlantic residents to know even more about weed.
