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JACKSON, Miss. — Ole Miss' history in the medical marijuana field dates back to 1960s when the university began researching the subject and built a cannabis growing facility. Now, the university is advancing that history by adding a master's program focused on medical cannabis and dietary supplements.

The two-year online program under the University of Mississippi's School of Pharmacy opens fall 2024 and will be split between learning about two industries: dietary supplements and medical marijuana, both of which are currently on the rise of use in the United States.

As states continue to legalize medical and recreational use of marijuana, more colleges across the country are creating curriculums to bolster education and training opportunities in the burgeoning industry.

In 2019, the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy became the first to launch a master's degree in medical cannabis science and therapeutics. Hundreds of community colleges and universities in multiple states now offer multi-level degrees and classes in the field, with more expected to come.

David Colby, director of online graduate programs in the biomedical sciences department, said the medical cannabis and dietary supplements master's program has a unique cause in the nation.

"The purpose is to provide advanced training for people who are seeking employment or want to advance their current jobs in dietary supplements, which could be herbal products or medical cannabis," Colby said.

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Program for students wanting to move up in the cannabis industry

Though there is some overlap with similar programs in the nation, the program at Ole Miss will center more on training students to design products rather than teaching people how to use cannabis products. It won't necessarily focus on diseases and treatment.

"We're more focused on providing the skills for people to be successful in the industry," Colby said.

The program will follow the expertise found at the University of Mississippi, he said.

"We're a national leader in dietary supplements and medical cannabis," Colby said. "And now we're going to fully build a curriculum across our university to serve our students."

The program will operate separately from the growing facility on campus and will focus on educating and training those entering industry positions. The master's program is also designed for those already in the dietary supplements or medical cannabis industries who want to advance their careers.

Colby said because the program is fully online, he expects students who sign up are partially or fully employed in the industry, "but they want to move ahead."

"Perhaps they're operating in an entry-level position and they want to move into something with regulatory affairs or something with formulation and manufacturing, or look at more analytical chemistry or research and development," Colby said. "They will be able to do that with this degree."

Ole Miss' medical marijuana curriculum

The program's first year will focus on dietary supplements and the second will center on medical marijuana, totaling 30 credit hours. Each leg of the program will include five courses and begin with general history and then move into pharmacy and toxicology.

Both the dietary supplement section and the medical cannabis section will go through a similar path of history and practice. The second-year medical cannabis courses will include policy and law, formulation and manufacturing, chemistry and standardization, pharmacy and toxicology and plant genomics.

The program expects to receive full accreditation by the end of the semester and is expected to accept its first students next fall. The Institution of Higher Learning has already approved the program and courses.

Hayley Prescott, instructional assistant professor of biomolecular sciences, will teach first-year courses on dietary supplements. She hopes the program will be a good foundation for a more educated workforce.

“We’re hoping to educate the people who are already in the industry or those that want to enter into the industry,” Prescott said. 

In her classes, Prescott aims to separate fact from fiction about dietary and herbal supplements, saying that misinformation of these products is circulating on the internet. She wants to help people in the industry think critically to develop smarter consumers.

“I think by educating the workforce, it will eventually lead to a more informed consumer,” Prescott said. 

Growing interest in marijuana across the country

Prescott said there has been an increase in interest across the country, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic when people searched for alternative and complimentary medicines.

Mississippi passed the Medical Cannabis Act in early 2022, legislation which is now in full effect. Since then, interest on the Ole Miss campus spiked. Colby said whenever the pharmacy school offers courses on medical marijuana, seats fill up quickly. He said one of his courses had 50 students on the waiting list, and that just included pharmacy students.

Across the country, studies have found an increase of marijuana use, with 50% of Americans saying they have tried it at one point, according to this year's Gallup annual Consumption Habits survey. About 17% of responders said they currently use cannabis, a nearly double increase since 2013.

"As marijuana has become more available to Americans and legal in an increasing number of states, their reports of use and experimentation have increased too," the survey said.

Colby said the master's degree is the first step in a full curriculum with multiple additional programs centered around natural products and medical cannabis.

Colleges develop cannabis programs to meet industry needs

In 2021, the Washington Post reported that about 321,000 Americans work in the legal cannabis industry. Programs like the one at the University of Mississippi are part of a rapidly growing nationwide effort to train people to work in the industry.

The University of Arizona, for example, offers a cannabis certificate program to "meet the current and future cannabis industry workforce." In 2017, Northern Michigan University began offering a bachelor's of science in medicinal plant chemistry.

Meanwhile, in California, the City College of San Francisco began offering a cannabis studies associate degree in 2021; Cal Poly Humboldt has had the Institute for Interdisciplinary Marijuana Research since 2012. Colorado State University at Pueblo offers a bachelor's degree of science in cannabis biology and chemistry, emphasizing the pharmaceutical implications and practical applications of marijuana.

"CSU Pueblo is excited to provide the necessary unbiased, scientific education needed as the cannabis industry expands and becomes more regulated," said Dr. David Lehmpuhl, dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, on the college program's website.

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Contributing: Vanessa Arredondo, USA TODAY