In the first of its kind from an accredited University, Northern Michigan University now offers a four-year bachelor of science program that studies marijuana.
“What, did you go to weed college?” Dave Chapelle jokingly asked in the movie Half Baked. But that question may no longer be a joke.
Northern Michigan University now has a bachelor of science program that examines marijuana. But just because marijuana is the focus it does not mean the program is all fun and games.
“When [my friends] hear what my major is, there are a lot of people who say, ‘Wow, cool dude. You’re going to get a degree growing marijuana,’” Alex Roth, a 19-year-old sophomore at NMU, told the Detroit Free Press. “But it’s not an easy degree at all.”
The official name of the program is “Medicinal Plant Chemistry.” It combines biology, botany, horticulture, marketing, and finance. While it will study plant science, in general, it will also have a focus on marijuana since there is so much demand for chemists in the industry.
“No one is growing marijuana. No one is violating and state or federal laws,” NMU Board of Trustees member Steve Mitchell said. “But there are a lot of plants that can be studied.”
Although the program is new, Dr. Mark Poulsen, director of the university’s chemistry department, is encouraged by the interest in this field of study.
“We’re gaining students every week,” he said. “With a full 12 months of recruitment, we expect that to grow.”
