LOUISVILLE, Ky. — One college in Louisville will be offering a certification that allows students to study the marijuana industry. Bellarmine University is launching its own cannabis education certificate program.
The program will focus on business, agriculture, law and medicine pertaining to the rapidly-evolving cannabis industry, according to a Bellarmine news release.
While the certificate courses are open to anyone, the program is designed for entrepreneurs, agriculturists, healthcare providers and legal professionals interested in the field of marijuana.
The following four courses are available:
- Cannabis Business
- Agriculture and Cultivation
- Compliance and Risk Management
- Healthcare and Medicine
On March 31, Gov. Andy Beshear signed Kentucky's medical marijuana bill into law, allowing Kentuckians with severe medical conditions to use prescribed medical marijuana.
A report published in Forbes last year said jobs in the cannabis industry grew more than 30% from 2021 to 2022, for a total of 428,059 full-time equivalent positions. Full legalization of the product across the nation could more than quadruple the number of available cannabis-related jobs in the coming years, according to the report.
"With the legal and regulatory framework for cannabis evolving in Kentucky, the time was right for Bellarmine to offer the Commonwealth a comprehensive set of courses on the topic,” Dr. Mark Wiegand, Bellarmine’s vice president for academic affairs and provost, said. “Helping Kentuckians access the most up-to-date knowledge and expertise in different aspects of this industry will ensure that our state is well-prepared to realize the full economic, workforce and consumer benefits associated with cannabis while assuring citizens that the products cultivated or sold in Kentucky comply with applicable standards and best practices.”
Each of Bellarmine's four cannabis certificate programs is available through six-month online sessions that participants can complete at their own pace. The courses are developed by industry leaders in each topic, with instructors selected based on expertise. Each certificate program costs $2,950. Click here for more information.
Registration is now open for the non-credit program, with classes beginning in January.
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