This fall semester Rutgers will teach Hemp and Medical Cannabis for 3 credits.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The cannabis industry will be generating several billions of dollars in sales for the next years, with opportunities to employ half a million people. This course will introduce students to the world of this unique species, Cannabis sativa. The course will address the diversity of C. sativa varieties, including wild varieties and three important groups with remarkable economic products, including fiber, oilseeds, and psychoactive compounds. The course discusses the history and classification of Cannabis and its horticulture, focusing on primary production and post-harvest handling and processing technologies, chemistry (e.g., THC, CBD, fatty acids, fiber content, adulteration), quality (safety and efficacy), legal and regulatory issues, and agricultural commercialization of new Cannabis crops.
Indeed, Rutgers joins a growing number of universities across the country that have programs dedicated to marijuana, including the University of Vermont and Northern Michigan University. Whether students will be training to join a medical marijuana industry in New Jersey or a recreational one depends on state lawmakers. Six medical marijuana currently operate in the state, though Gov. Phil Murphy has ordered a doubling of the industry. Those additional facilities are expected to be up and running by next spring.
Meanwhile, the New Jersey voters will be weighing-in on full legalization of recreational marijuana.