Roanoke College has announced a new cannabis studies program that will launch this fall, offering two majors and a minor to prepare students for career opportunities in the growing field.
Two bachelor of science majors will be offered: one on the science of cannabis, the other centering around social justice and policy issues. A minor will also be available.
“Roanoke is positioning our graduates for career success in science, policy, business and community engagement” in the cannabis industry, President Frank Shushok said in a press conference Thursday.
Roanoke College President Frank Shushok at a lectern in front of a Roanoke College Maroons banner.
Roanoke College President Frank Shushok spoke at Thursday’s announcement of the school’s new cannabis studies program. Photo by Lisa Rowan.
The program is the first of its kind in Virginia, where recreational possession of marijuana is legal but retail sales remain prohibited (although the General Assembly is currently taking up several measures that could change the landscape). Cannabis studies programs are offered at a few schools on the East Coast, but some only offer a certificate as an add-on to another academic program.
The cannabis science track will focus on botany, biology and chemistry, while the social justice and policy track will center around cannabis legislation and regulatory history. In both tracks, students will be required to complete an internship, independent study or research project.
The program was created through an internal development process that took more than a year.
Biology professor DorothyBelle “DB” Poli, who has led the creation of the new program, said she met with faculty and administrators at several colleges and universities to learn about their cannabis studies programs. She also met with Roanoke College graduates who are working in the cannabis industry to learn about the types of jobs that are in demand now or are expected to grow in the field.
The fast-changing regulatory landscape for cannabis means the program will need to adapt to keep up with both industry trends and state law, administrators said Thursday. Roanoke College will only grow hemp varieties of the cannabis plant, which contain less than 0.3% of the psychoactive element THC.
[Want to know more about Virginia’s marijuana laws? We’ve compiled an explainer.]
Poli, who has a doctorate in plant biology, explained at the press conference that a lot of medicines come from plants, but there’s a shortage of plant scientists. Whether students choose careers that focus on uses of hemp or opt for jobs on the marijuana side of the industry, they’ll have the scientific preparation for those careers.
“We’re not telling them what to think,” Poli said, “We’re telling them how to think.”
The college wouldn’t provide a target number for enrollment for the new majors, but Poli said there’s already been interest among students enrolled in the sciences at Roanoke College, along with undeclared freshman students.
H/T: cardinalnews.org
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