The Maryland University of Integrative Health in Laurel has launched a new cannabis science program, with the hopes of educating future employees of the global marijuana industry on holistic approaches to the medicinal plant.
The higher education institution dedicated to studies in alternative medicine launched its new 15-credit post-baccalaureate certificate program in Cannabis Science Monday. The program recently received approval from the Maryland Higher Education Commission, becoming one of only two cannabis-focused graduate programs in Maryland, and only a handful nationwide.
The program's first cohort includes 20 students, who will be able to complete their coursework entirely online over 12 months at a cost of about $13,000. James Snow, dean of academic affairs at MUIH, said the school is also already enrolling for a second cohort, set to kick off in January.
Snow said the cannabis science program will fit into a larger spectrum of herbal and alternative medicine programming offered at MUIH. Medical cannabis represents a rapidly expanding, multibillion-dollar market with plenty of promising career opportunities, he noted. But still, research around the plant is limited and must be evaluated carefully. Snow said MUIH hopes to provide students with a "unique lens through which to view cannabis."
Among the new program's goals, it aims to educate those who may be looking for new jobs in the cannabis industry, as well as those with clinical backgrounds or who are already working in cannabis manufacturing or sales and want to expand their knowledge base around the medicinal plant, Snow said. Students will evaluate the most current available research on the uses and effects of cannabis, and study how cannabis may be effectively combined with the use of other plants and holistic treatments for medicinal benefit.
"We want our students to leave this program understanding cannabis, in itself, is not a fix-all product," he said. "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."
A significant portion of the new certificate program will also focus on quality assurance and control, Snow said, and making sure students are aware of the importance of ensuring cannabis products available on the market are as safe and effective as possible, and always contain the elements promised by the companies that sell them.
MUIH has offered graduate studies in herbal medicine since 2002. The launch of the new cannabis science program follows the launch of the nation's first medical cannabis master's degree program at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy last year. That program drew 500 applicants and enrolled an initial cohort of 150 students.
