Students at a Colorado university can soon major in cannabis

Some students in Colorado will soon be able to major in weed instead of just smoking it in their dorm rooms.

Colorado State University-Pueblo just received approval for the state's first degree program focused on cannabis, the Denver Post reports. The program is called "Cannabis, Biology and Chemistry" and will be similar to a double major in biology and chemistry, dean of the university's College of Science and Mathematics David Lehmpuhl told the Post. The focus will be on learning the science necessary to succeed in the field.

Lehmpuhl said the degree will be rigorous. He also stated that the university is not pro or anti cannabis, but rather they know that the industry will continue to grow and they want students to be prepared.

CSU-Pueblo is not the first college to offer cannabis-related courses and programs. Two universities in Michigan, Northern Michigan University and Lake Superior State University, for example, offer similar chemistry-based programs. The University of Washington offers a training program called "Medical Cannabis and Pain." Other universities have single courses available, and Canadian colleges have gotten in the cannabis game as well since it became legal in 2018.

While CSU-Pueblo students will not be working with high levels of THC — the component in weed that gets you high — the university is expecting high demand for the program. As recreational cannabis becomes legal in more states, we may be seeing more programs like this pop up in the future.