Cannabis Business

The concentration in Cannabis Business is designed to equip students with specialized business knowledge and skills specific to the cannabis industry. Across the globe, cannabis medicalization and legalization are having a profound effect. Over half of the United States have already legalized cannabis in some form and the legal cannabis industry has been growing at a rate faster than any other industry over the past four years, becoming the single greatest job creation engine in America. However, the path to a successful cannabis business is full of confusing and complex laws and regulations, steep taxes, and many other roadblocks. There is also limited information regarding “best practices” in both growing and processing, as well as laboratory testing of cannabis. In addition, regulations vary from state-to-state, adding to the confusion and complexity.

Through collaboration with the Jefferson Institute of Emerging Health Professions (IEHP), students within the School of Business have now the unique opportunity to gain valuable insight and training needed to interpret and solve real-world problems within the cannabis industry. In the two required courses, students gain an understanding of the emerging issues in the cannabis industry, the cultural and social history of cannabis, cannabis laws and regulations, and major aspects of quality assurance and control in cannabis testing. To complete this concentration students have the flexibility to choose one elective course that can expand their knowledge in cannabis medicine, cannabis science or entrepreneurship.

Unique Aspects

• Participants completing this 9-credit concentration will build upon the MBA's core business curriculum of financial, managerial, and operational courses and acquire the specialized knowledge and skills necessary to navigate and contribute to all key aspects of the cannabis industry.
• The concentration is designed to create the opportunity for participants with no prior knowledge of the cannabis industry to effectively contribute to high level discussions and business-related decision-making processes across all functional areas of the cannabis industry.
• Courses included in the concentration are offered completely online.

By the end of the concentration the participants will be able to:

• Characterize key regulatory and business issues applicable to the cannabis industry.
• Identify and analyze the current and potential future economic impacts of cannabis and hemp.
• Discuss the history and haphazard progression of legislation and the current status of regulations, policies, and laws primarily in the US (Federal and various state).
• Understand quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) in cannabis testing laboratories and how to build and implement a good quality management program.
• Understand key scientific and/or medical areas of knowledge and key gaps in data surrounding of cannabis.

Cannabis Business Courses

Required courses:

• CBU 501 Emerging Issues in the Cannabis Industry
• CCT 508 Quality Control and Quality Assurance in Medical Cannabis Analysis and Dispensing

Elective Course (choose one):

• CMD 503 Pathology Potentially Responsive to Cannabis
• CMD 504 Conventional & Cannabinoid Therapy of Disease
• CMD 505 Health Implications of Medicinal Cannabis
• CSC 511 Botany and Chemistry
• CSC 512 Forensic Analysis of Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Products
• CSC 513 Cannabinoid Pharmacology
• MBA 759 Entrepreneurship
• Internship (approved by PD)