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Many NJ cannabis college programs offering Cannabis Studies classes for budding workers and professionals have been blossoming.
Training programs for dispensary clerks, known as budtenders, were some of the first adult education programs. Now, more traditional and comprehensive academic programs have developed as the New Jersey cannabis industry and community have prospered. Thus, new job opportunities have opened up.
The program could help those looking to start at the bottom of a dispensary or similar operation and work their way up the company or jump ship for a better position.
Since the Fall 2024 college semester has already started, Heady NJ admits this is like late homework.
Stockton University recently launched a Cannabis Studies major program that began this fall.
The program is a business degree for those looking to enter the cannabis industry.
Besides business classes, there are courses on cannabis cultivation, social justice, and cannabis and an introduction to medical cannabis.
They have been pioneering formal academic Cannabis Studies since Fall 2018 with a program where students could have a formal minor in the subject that included business and science courses.
Rowan University in South Jersey has both a general undergraduate program and a Graduate School Business course in its Cannabis Studies program.
Besides Stockton University, Rowan University’s undergraduate program is one of the most comprehensive programs offered. Along with industry basics, it goes into the policy regulation and cultural details that are also a part of the cannabis industry and the larger culture. Thus, Rowan University truly has been pioneering graduate school-level cannabis classes.
Their programs include several different types of classes and certificate programs:
Social Behavioral Impact of Cannabis Legislation: includes lessons on cannabis legislation, history, policy, and process. Social institutions are examined, along with the differential impacts of cannabis legislation on the issue of social inequality.
Cannabis History, Culture & Social Institutions: Students learn about the history and culture of cannabis and its use and impact on society and social institutions, as well as its cultural influence on entertainment, politics, religion, and race.Cannabis Legislation and Society: An overview of the creation of legislation, the legislative process, and statutory interpretation of cannabis law, legal ethics, and inclusive responsibility.Cannabis Industry: An overview of the burgeoning field of the production, sale, and consumption of cannabis is taught to understand the social, anthropological, historical, economic, and cultural forces that shape the cannabis industry.
The graduate school level courses are more detailed:
Cannabis Legislation, Regulation, and Policy Evaluation: Examines the legislative, regulatory, and policy landscapes for the cultivation, manufacturing, and retail sale of cannabis in the legal market.
Marijuana, Legalization, and Decriminalization in Work, Leisure, and Other Settings: The nature and effects of cannabis legalization within and across workplace settings and institutions is taught.
Cannabis Research, Program Evaluation, and Policy Development: This course teaches ways to analyze data on the outcomes of programs and policies in the field of the cannabis industry.
Rowan University is also running a training program with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) labor union local 360 to train their apprentices.
Hudson County Community College (HCCC) has worked hard to develop its Cannabis Studies Associate’s degree minor based at their campus by Journal Square in Jersey City in North Jersey.
They have several options:
According to their website, this 60-credit degree is suitable for individuals who have work experience or educational background in a non-cannabis business field and would like to transition to a career in the cannabis business. It is also suitable for individuals who are entering college and making the decision to pursue a career in the cannabis business.
The 12-credit certificate is good for individuals with experience or educational background in a non-cannabis business field and would like to transition to the cannabis business. It is also good for individuals who want to study cannabis as a freshman in college.
Credits earned through the Certificate in Cannabis Business Agent program can transfer to the Associate’s Degree in Business Administration – Cannabis Studies.
Their 33-credit certificate is suitable for individuals with experience or educational background in a non-cannabis business field and who would like to transition to a career in cannabis. It is also for individuals entering college and want to pursue a career in cannabis. Credits earned transfer to the Degree in Business Administration-Cannabis Studies.
They also have several Cannabis Non-Credit Courses:
Intro to Cannabis IndustryCannabis Dispensary OperationsSocial Justice in the Cannabis IndustryMedical Cannabis for Health and WellnessCannabis Therapeutics for PharmacistsRelief Without the High: Introduction to CBD and its Health ApplicationsCannabis ComplianceCannabis Health and Safety
Hudson County Community College also made a deal with LIM College in New York City so that students who finish their two-year program can easily go there to finish their bachelor’s degree.
It has also been the site of many New Jersey cannabis industry events that its students could attend.
Raritan Valley Community College in Somerset County is working with Valley Wellness dispensary CEO Sarah Trenton’s NJ Cannabis Certified program.
It is designed primarily to train budtenders.
According to them, the program covers:
NJ’s regulatory provisions of medical and adult use cannabis law.The basics of the plant cycle and available products.Handling medical cannabis products.The endocannabinoid system.How to counsel medical cannabis patients.How to assist adult use consumers.
While working with Valley Wellness, they have held several job fairs for their students in the past.
Union County College is working with the adult education training program Green Flower on 3 different types of training programs:
Cannabis Retail SpecialistCannabis Cultivation SpecialistCannabis Extraction and Product Development Specialist
The first position is for someone as a budtender working in a dispensary. Cultivation would work for a licensed grower, and an extraction specialist would work for licensed manufacturers.
Union County College is also working with the NJ Cannabis Certified program started by Trent.
Their program is more generalized. It seems like it might give an overview of all three types of careers, along with some of the science behind them. It is also like a special adult training program versus a more academic program.
Thomas Edison State College is a 4-year college in Trenton working on many sorts of Cannabis Studies Programs.
Notably, they do not have a program to gain credits that one collects in order to graduate college.
So, they are offering a special certificate program that are still good for professional training.
Their classes include:
Cannabis Healthcare & MedicineCannabis Agriculture & HorticultureThe Business of CannabisCannabis Compliance& Risk ManagementCannabis ProductDevelopment & Design
William Paterson University had a science program aspect to its Cannabis Studies program.
Their certificate program involves a lot of different courses. It says it should take 3 semesters.
Notably, Wiliam Paterson launched a Cannabis Research Institute (CRI) to delve into the science of the plant.
The Rutgers University Law School launched a program for their law students to study the legal aspects of cannabis.
It’s a six-month hybrid program held on both the Rutgers-Newark and Rutgers-Camden campuses. They teach students about the rules and regulations of New Jersey’s cannabis industry.
Their goal is to ensure people entering the market or getting promoted to management have the information they need to run legally compliant businesses.
Rutgers gets money from the federal government, like many colleges. So, they are very cautious because of federal marijuana prohibition. They say they discipline students for being caught with possession of marijuana on campus!
So be careful when smoking weed near or around Rutgers!
Rutgers Law School and Minority Cannabis Academy are collaborating to expand access to cannabis-related educational programming for disenfranchised communities impacted by the war on drugs. The collaboration means that Minority Cannabis Academy students will be able to participate in Rutgers’ Certificate in Cannabis Law and Business at no cost to themselves.
The Minority Cannabis Academy (MCA) was developed as a private program. Like the others, they developed education programs for those looking for jobs in the licensed New Jersey cannabis industry. MCA works with large corporate Multi-State Operators (MSOs) like Ayr and Ascend on the program.
In addition to academic programs, The State of New Jersey said it has been working on a program spearheaded by noted advocates Tauhid Chapell and Jessica Gonzalez. It is being designed to help struggling cannabis entrepreneurs who might fail if not properly guided.
But there have not been any new updates on that since this past January 2024.
“}]] Many NJ cannabis college programs offering Cannabis Studies classes for budding workers and professionals have been blossoming. Read More