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What college major should i take if i want to be in the cannabis industry?
I'm 17 years old and in the state of mass, you have to be 21 to work in the cannabis industry so I have no idea what to major to assist in that field. #cannabis
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Rhaven’s Answer
Hi Jaison,
I recently earned a masters in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics, and there are many new similar undergraduate programs that have since come on the scene. However, I'd definitely recommend getting an undergraduate degree related to the type of work you want to do in the industry. Think about which aspect of the cannabis industry you would like to work in and then major in something related to those skills. For example, if you want to own a business, you may want a degree in business, finance, or marketing. If you want to do lab testing, you may want a degree in biology or chemistry. If you want to be a grow expert, you may want to study something like botany or agriculture. There are also many emerging programs that are directly tied to the cannabis industry, such as business or medical programs with a concentration in cannabis.
Btw, you do not need a degree to actually get into the industry. It is totally possible to get an entry-level position in retail, production, growing, lab testing, etc., and work your way up. However, the above suggestions are for you if higher education is important to you!
I recently earned a masters in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics, and there are many new similar undergraduate programs that have since come on the scene. However, I'd definitely recommend getting an undergraduate degree related to the type of work you want to do in the industry. Think about which aspect of the cannabis industry you would like to work in and then major in something related to those skills. For example, if you want to own a business, you may want a degree in business, finance, or marketing. If you want to do lab testing, you may want a degree in biology or chemistry. If you want to be a grow expert, you may want to study something like botany or agriculture. There are also many emerging programs that are directly tied to the cannabis industry, such as business or medical programs with a concentration in cannabis.
Btw, you do not need a degree to actually get into the industry. It is totally possible to get an entry-level position in retail, production, growing, lab testing, etc., and work your way up. However, the above suggestions are for you if higher education is important to you!
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Hello Jaison, the cannabis industry is very new (legally anyway) and is presenting lots of opportunities. What you want to do in it is very important though. Working at a dispensary doesn't actually involve any college. If you want to be a grower or distributor I could see that becoming more competitive over the next several years and could see a supply chain management or general business administration being very helpful. Take a class in hydroponics or other forms of growing plants.
Consider growing other plants and learning ways to cross pollinate variations including sprouting and the use of humidity along with how certain lights affect growth at different stages. Do that and you should be golden!
Consider growing other plants and learning ways to cross pollinate variations including sprouting and the use of humidity along with how certain lights affect growth at different stages. Do that and you should be golden!
Updated
Doc’s Answer
Jaison as a rapidly expanding business, marijuana represents a tremendous career opportunity. The changing laws and changing attitudes make the cannabis sector an emergent frontier for legitimate professionals of all kinds. Marijuana has increasingly become a focus for serious professors, courses, and both traditional and online college. Depending on where you live, or plan to live, getting an education in marijuana could help your career in a real and growing field. (:
MARKETING DEGREE – For obvious reasons, marijuana hasn’t historically been the most widely advertised product. You had to know somebody. But legalization and legitimization are rapidly changing the marketplace and making it more competitive. In California and Colorado, where legal marijuana is already economically entrenched, growing operations and dispensaries must compete with one another. If you’re looking to leap into this untapped subsection of the marketing business, the future promises a growing number of potential clients. Learn how to create positive brand association, drive marketing campaigns, and identify key consumer targets. These are all things that marijuana farms, dispensaries, and paraphernalia retailers must do as their marketplace saturates.
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DEGREE – Naturally, if the business of marijuana is growing, so too are the challenges, logistics, opportunities, and threats. Running a marijuana distribution business today requires a lot more than a scale, some baggies, and a basement with lots of tapestries. There are taxes, insurance issues, zoning requirements, accounts receivable, competitors, local, state, and federal regulations, etc., etc., etc. If you want in on the legal marijuana trade, you need a head for business. A degree in business administration can help you balance all of these dimensions by providing instruction in organizational management, entrepreneurship, financial accounting, business law, and a host of other areas critical to creating and running a viable cannabis company.
HEALTH CARE DEGREE – The biggest argument in favor of decriminalization is the array of potential medical benefits of marijuana therapy. The active chemicals in marijuana called cannabinoids are similar to chemicals occurring naturally in the body. These natural chemicals are connected to appetite, memory, movement, and pain. This is likely why marijuana therapy helps improve appetite and reduce nausea or vomiting in chemotherapy patients, suppresses the muscle spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis, and helps individuals manage many day-to-day health challenges, including chronic pain, anxiety, insomnia, and a wide range of digestive issues. All of this amounts to a wide and expanding field of marijuana-based medical research, therapy, and treatment. Your degree in health care could provide a pathway to advancing opportunities for wellness through medical marijuana, whether as a nurse, a practicing physician, the administrator of a healthcare facility, or as a researcher.
What we need now, and will continue to need in the future, are cannabis educators. As cannabis use becomes more accepted and common among new groups, students want to enter the industry. Because the industry is poised for growth, people who have found success working in the industry or who have studied cannabis on their own can become teachers so that many more new professionals can be educated.
Hope this is helpful Jaison
MARKETING DEGREE – For obvious reasons, marijuana hasn’t historically been the most widely advertised product. You had to know somebody. But legalization and legitimization are rapidly changing the marketplace and making it more competitive. In California and Colorado, where legal marijuana is already economically entrenched, growing operations and dispensaries must compete with one another. If you’re looking to leap into this untapped subsection of the marketing business, the future promises a growing number of potential clients. Learn how to create positive brand association, drive marketing campaigns, and identify key consumer targets. These are all things that marijuana farms, dispensaries, and paraphernalia retailers must do as their marketplace saturates.
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DEGREE – Naturally, if the business of marijuana is growing, so too are the challenges, logistics, opportunities, and threats. Running a marijuana distribution business today requires a lot more than a scale, some baggies, and a basement with lots of tapestries. There are taxes, insurance issues, zoning requirements, accounts receivable, competitors, local, state, and federal regulations, etc., etc., etc. If you want in on the legal marijuana trade, you need a head for business. A degree in business administration can help you balance all of these dimensions by providing instruction in organizational management, entrepreneurship, financial accounting, business law, and a host of other areas critical to creating and running a viable cannabis company.
HEALTH CARE DEGREE – The biggest argument in favor of decriminalization is the array of potential medical benefits of marijuana therapy. The active chemicals in marijuana called cannabinoids are similar to chemicals occurring naturally in the body. These natural chemicals are connected to appetite, memory, movement, and pain. This is likely why marijuana therapy helps improve appetite and reduce nausea or vomiting in chemotherapy patients, suppresses the muscle spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis, and helps individuals manage many day-to-day health challenges, including chronic pain, anxiety, insomnia, and a wide range of digestive issues. All of this amounts to a wide and expanding field of marijuana-based medical research, therapy, and treatment. Your degree in health care could provide a pathway to advancing opportunities for wellness through medical marijuana, whether as a nurse, a practicing physician, the administrator of a healthcare facility, or as a researcher.
What we need now, and will continue to need in the future, are cannabis educators. As cannabis use becomes more accepted and common among new groups, students want to enter the industry. Because the industry is poised for growth, people who have found success working in the industry or who have studied cannabis on their own can become teachers so that many more new professionals can be educated.
Hope this is helpful Jaison
Updated
Victoria’s Answer
Hi Jaison. I'm not in the cannabis industry, but would say this advice applies to other industries as well:
Try to think about the type of work that brings you joy as different skills can be useful in different parts of the industry, from working with raw materials, production, selling or consumption. Here are a few examples to help narrow it to what would be best for you:
Biology - if being closer to the plant and studying about its components is what attracts you.
Neuroscience - if studying the effects are what's more your focus
Marketing or Economics - if you'd like to focus on growing and scaling the industry
Try to think about the type of work that brings you joy as different skills can be useful in different parts of the industry, from working with raw materials, production, selling or consumption. Here are a few examples to help narrow it to what would be best for you:
Biology - if being closer to the plant and studying about its components is what attracts you.
Neuroscience - if studying the effects are what's more your focus
Marketing or Economics - if you'd like to focus on growing and scaling the industry