Studying the Evolution of Cannabis Education: Insights from Stockton University’s Course Instructors

Editor's Note: Since the publication of this interview, the Online Cannabis Studies Certificate Program has been paused while under review. Check here for more information and registration.

What led to the start of the program and how has it evolved?

Robert Mejia: Stockton University (SU) began offering a Minor in Cannabis Studies in fall 2018 because it became clear that the industry would offer a number of jobs and we wanted to train and educate our students so they could participate in this growing industry if they so desired. In order to earn a Minor in Cannabis Studies, students need to take four courses plus an internship. The program started with 24 students, and within three years over 100 students were involved in the program. The program now includes a number of innovative electives including courses such as Cannabis and Social Justice, Cannabis Communications, and Integrated Cannabis Media.

Can you tell us more about the courses and instructors?

Mejia: At the heart of our cannabis program are dedicated adjunct professors. That is how I started in the program, and our Cannabis Cultivation, Medical Cannabis, Cannabis Law, and Cannabis Communication educators are all adjuncts as well. Because cannabis is such a unique industry it is a major benefit to use instructors who have real world cannabis experience and who keep up with the field. Our courses are largely practical in nature and prepare students to understand and get jobs in the industry.

Angela Speakman: I teach Cannabis and Communications and I also wrote a version of this course for the Stockton University Cannabis Studies Certification program.

In this undergraduate course, before diving into anything about cannabis, we initially explore concepts related to the formation of attitudes, beliefs, and values and how individual perspective and public opinion form. Once students understand the processes involved, we then look at messaging involving cannabis to better understand how narratives, both direct and indirect, have contributed to perceptions and beliefs about the plant and who is associated with it. We look at three historical periods—classical era and Middle Ages, the early modern era, and the modern era—to examine human interaction and exchange involving cannabis. The bulk of our time is spent exploring messaging from the modern era, especially the last century in America. We consider information sources and motivating factors while analyzing communications, so students are able to gain a deeper understanding of why views continue to be complicated, diverse, and sometimes emotionally-driven and what contributes to the ongoing controversies associated with cannabis.

What opportunities and occupations are your students prepared for when they graduate? Are there any success stories that stand out?

Mejia: Our students are prepared to contribute as cultivators, budtenders, inventory managers, shift managers, marketing assistants, website designers and to work in the IT department. This depends largely on what their major is.

Our Cannabis Ospreys, as I call them, have been very successful in the cannabis industry. Here are a few of my favorite student success stories:

• A graduate who works as an AYR Cultivation Supervisor as well as a member of the SU adjunct faculty in the cannabis studies program
• A graduate who became the Executive Director of the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association, an organization that serves as a cannabis chamber of commerce
• A graduate who works as an Account Executive at Fernway
• A graduate with a Major in Hospitality and Tourism and a Minor in Cannabis Studies went to California and gives wine and weed tours and sets up events. She has been doing this for two years.
• A recent graduate was hired as the General Manager of a local dispensary in Atlantic City, New Jersey that just opened.
• One student who was in my first class started as a budtender at a dispensary and in three months she became assistant manager.
• A current student is getting gigs painting cannabis murals for a local operator.
• A recent graduate was just promoted to Assistant Head Grower at a cultivation facility.
• And dozens of students have just started in the industry as beginning cultivators or budtenders and are working their way up the ladder, plus all the SU graduates who are excelling in the industry.

Speakman: Stockton University has an outstanding reputation for preparing students to be the leaders of tomorrow, offering rigorous educational offerings that strengthen the workforces of differing industries. When Cannabis Studies students graduate, they have a robust understanding of a new industry, one forecasted to hit a billion dollars in New Jersey in 2024. It’s a fledgling, highly-regulated industry featuring a product that’s come to market in a truly unique way. At present, Stockton prepares students for the realities of an industry that is still finding its way. By being a responsive, pioneer institution in the state, Stockton has signaled, to current and prospective students, that it is steadfast in its mission to develop engaged and effective citizens with a commitment to life-long learning and the capacity to adapt to change in a multi-cultural, interdependent world.

Can you tell us more about the National Cannabis Curriculum Convening?

Mejia: Stockton University’s National Cannabis Curriculum Convening started because I wanted to connect with other cannabis professors across the country to talk about what we teach in class. I wanted to talk about the materials we use, the goals we have, how to work with school administration and how best to engage the local community. Thankfully, I connected with a few key cannabis professors including Koral Fritz from Lake Superior State University (where they offer a Cannabis Business and Science Major), Andrea Holmes from Doane University (they have robust online cannabis course offerings) and Gerry Berkowitz from the University of Connecticut (they have an excellent cannabis cultivation and research program). Together we mapped out the sessions we wanted to offer—based on the most popular cannabis courses such as Introduction to Medical Cannabis, Cannabis Law, the Business of Cannabis and more—and our Cannabis Curriculum Convening was born.

Because I am a natural networker and connector, I was able to reach out to dozens of cannabis professors across the country and convinced them to participate on our panels. We have held four such convenings and schools including Cornell University, New York University, University of Connecticut, University of Virginia, Wake Forest University, Purdue University, Johnson & Wales University, Colorado University, Utah State University, University of Vermont, Rutgers University, and a host of others have all had representation on panels.

What are some challenges cannabis education faces and how are you overcoming them?

Mejia: I see two major challenges regarding the growth of cannabis education in higher education; in both cases, the challenges can be met with education. First, there is still stigma about the cannabis plant. Years of misinformation, racist beliefs, and a lack of understanding of what cannabis is and what it can do holds us back. As we are able to demonstrate the medical benefits of cannabis and how hemp can help us heal the planet, we can start to melt the stigma.

Second, administrators on college campuses must be convinced that cannabis is a real business with real professional opportunities for their students. Too, they must be trained to navigate the uncertain waters to create and offer curriculum involving a federally illegal substance. One way to persuade administrators is to examine other colleges and universities to see the cannabis degrees they are offering. These degrees are attracting new students who want to get into a multi-billion dollar industry, which is something administrators cannot overlook.

Speakman: Cannabis education navigates the same challenges that other areas of the industry face. Problematic stigma and misinformation, the newness of the industry and the “building the plane while flying it” aspect, decades of limitations caused by the federal Category 1 classification—cannabis education progress is not immune to being hindered by these challenges. The irony, though, is that education is what we need to address these obstacles. Stockton is doing more than just helping students learn about cultivation best practices, the impact of policy and legislation, and business management principles in a specialized industry—it’s normalizing the topic and establishing itself as a trusted source of information, which sends a clear message across the state, country, and globe. That’s providing something significant to the wider cannabis community and addressing some of the existing challenges. It is worth noting that Stockton was providing access to education in New Jersey prior to the adult-use market launch and prior to the significant expansion to the medical program (expanded by the Phil Murphy administration in 2019 via the Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act [1]). The official Cannabis Studies minor program launched in 2018; the certification program followed in 2019.

How would the recent rescheduling of cannabis affect cannabis education?

Mejia: Right now, all we can do is make educated guesses about the impact of cannabis being rescheduled from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 because there are still many steps to take before this becomes a reality. If this happens, the biggest impact for colleges and universities is that research will be easier to conduct. In fact, I plan to argue that plant touching internships should be classified as research and that students should receive college credit for their efforts. Right now, this is not possible. Rescheduling also helps address the stigma around the plant because the federal government is admitting that cannabis does have medical applications, which is something we’ve known for decades.

Speakman: The need for cannabis education is considerable and exists on many different levels. We need to educate the future workforce. At the same time, we need education beyond that for the general public. Misinformation and anti-cannabis propaganda goes back a century, so there’s a lot to undo and just as much, if not more, accurate and reliable information to provide. We need more study and research, period.While there are many question marks in regards to rescheduling (descheduling absolutely makes more sense, though…), the need for individuals and businesses to access helpful and insightful data and information via cannabis educational offerings remains, regardless of changes on a federal level. Furthermore, access to education helps everyone understand more about how and why cannabis was scheduled in 1970 via the Controlled Substance Act, which is likely to result in a wider understanding of the complexities involved in ongoing cannabis conversations.

Are there any future plans to expand or improve the current cannabis education offerings the university provides?

Mejia: We have exciting developments going on at Stockton University when it comes to cannabis curriculum. Not only is our Minor in Cannabis Studies program flourishing but we just finished an internal review of a new program we hope to roll out soon. Specifically, we plan to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in Hemp and Cannabis Business Management through our Business School. Our proposal was submitted to the state days ago for approval. If we receive quick approval, we will be able to start offering our new degree in the fall.

Our degree will be the first of its kind in New Jersey and only one of a handful in the country! We also pay attention to hemp, which is rare indeed. The degree includes a strong core of business classes enhanced with general studies courses and a core of required hemp and cannabis courses. We are breaking new ground here and I couldn’t be more excited.

Reference

1. https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562019/20190702d.shtml