Some higher education institutes in Canada are considering adding cannabis business-centric course offerings, with at least one adopting an online course, according to a report from Maclean’s.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University, in British Columbia, currently offers a 14-week, online, continuing education program taught by industry professionals. The class, Introduction to Professional Management of Medical Marijuana for Medical Purposes in Canada, has two parts. Part one is called Plant Production & Facility Management, which teaches students the biology of the plant, and the rules for operating in Canada’s industry. The second part, Marketing Sales & Drug Development, is designed to help students learn the role of health care professionals in the industry and the drug development process, in addition to marketing and branding strategies.
“It’s one thing to grow cannabis in your basement and a completely different world when you’re growing it for commercial purposes under the supervision of Health Canada,” Deepak Anand, director of the Canadian National Medical Marijuana Association, who to co-wrote the curriculum and will teach the fall sections. “Licensees were having a hard time finding people who had knowledge of the law and the regulations. They had to take in people who were completely green and spend months training them.”
According to Tegan Adams, who pitched the course to the university, “a large Ontario” college is interested in a program, but she declined to say which one. She said she has previously consulted with the University of British Columbia for a medical marijuana research program.
Universities in Ottawa, London, and Toronto, Ontario have incorporated medical marijuana into some of their pharmacy, law, and biology courses to varying degrees, and are reportedly considering expanding their course offerings, but have not yet developed any dedicated medical cannabis courses.