SUNY Oswego has expanded its Cannabis Studies offerings with a new minor designed to give students an academic understanding of the cannabis industry and its social, legal and scientific implications. 

Professor Marthinus Koen, coordinator of the Cannabis Studies program, said the program allows students to examine cannabis through multiple academic perspectives. 

“Students will learn a little bit of business, science, humanities and social science. All of it cloaked in cannabis,” Koen said. 

The minor requires six courses totaling 18 credits. Students take Cannabis Science, Analysis and Wellbeing, Introduction to Cannabis Studies, Cannabis Business and Logistics and Cannabis Law & Policy, then choose two courses from the elective requirements list. 

The program is available to current students as well as adult learners and professionals. Courses can be taken on the SUNY Oswego campus or online through several formats, including hybrid, synchronous online, asynchronous and hyflex classes. 

According to SUNY Oswego, the program is intended to provide students with knowledge related to the history, cultivation, medicinal applications, legal frameworks and emerging trends surrounding cannabis. Students can develop skills in regulatory compliance, supply chain management, scientific analysis and social impact awareness. 

Koen said the university developed the program after seeing similar Cannabis Studies programs emerge at other universities across the country. 

“We wanted to be one of the SUNY schools to be at the forefront of it,” Koen said. 

Because the minor draws courses from several academic areas, Koen said it can also complement other programs and majors. Students interested in combining their studies with another field may be able to use courses from existing programs toward their academic goals. 

Although the minor has officially launched, Koen said the department does not yet have enrollment numbers. 

“We don’t know what the numbers are currently because the minor just went live,” Koen said. “We will have an idea of how many people are enrolled at the end of the semester.” 

The program also is intended to address what Koen described as misconceptions surrounding Cannabis Studies. 

“This is not a joke. It’s not about joint rolling 101,” Koen said. “We’re trying really hard to remove that stigma from the program as it has been unfairly applied to us without cause from the beginning.” 

Instead, Koen said students study cannabis from an academic perspective and examine competing perspectives surrounding the subject. 

“We teach the good and the bad and we question taken for granted assumptions and perspectives,” Koen said. “Most importantly, we go about it academically and make sure we provide students with the latest scholarship on the topic.” 

The program also faces limitations because cannabis remains illegal under federal law. Koen said that restricts the hands-on experience the university can currently provide. 

“Since cannabis is still federally illegal, our hands are tied in terms of what we can do regarding practical experience,” Koen said. 

Despite those limitations, Koen said the program is working to establish the infrastructure needed to expand practical opportunities if federal policy changes in the future. 

The six course minor gives students the opportunity to earn a SUNY Oswego Cannabis Studies microcredential while studying the industry through multiple academic disciplines. The university also states that participants may have the opportunity to obtain New York state cultivation, processing or retail licenses if they choose.