It’s more than just semantics. Guidance issued this year to law enforcement officers from state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal draws a distinction between “regulated cannabis” and “marijuana and hashish,” with the latter still defined as a controlled dangerous substance, a legal term for illegal drugs.
A new Cannabis & Hemp Research Institute at Stockton University (CHRIS) will provide education, research and resources for the local and national market.
The new institute builds on the Cannabis Studies academic programs at Stockton to develop research focusing on hemp cultivation practices, non-medical cannabis research, lab testing and the creation of hemp and cannabis educational materials
Professor of Biology Ekaterina Sedia, who also serves as coordinator of the cannabis studies minor, noted that Stockton University was the first in the state to offer the minor, which it launched in 2019.
The institute will focus on developing research focusing on hemp cultivation practices, non-medical cannabis research, lab testing, and the creation of hemp and cannabis educational material.
Looking for a job in a growing field?
Stockton University in New Jersey is cosponsoring a virtual career fair this week that will offer students opportunities in the cannabis industry.
Not all the jobs involve working with plants. There are legal jobs, accounting-related opportunities, and positions in communications, marketing, and health fields.
With campus police officers strolling by and school administrators within earshot, students openly discussed marijuana Friday.
What would have once been risky behavior is now a networking opportunity. At a cannabis industry fair at Stockton University, students mingled with employers and vendors. Those interested in the subject range from business students to environmental studies students, said Ekaterina Sedia, coordinator for the school’s Cannabis Studies program.
A new online certificate program at Stockton University in Galloway Township, New Jersey, could open doors for students anywhere in the United States who are interested in working in the fledgling cannabis industry.
The university's Office of Continuing Studies in late April 2019 launched a new certificate program in cannabis studies. School officials said it is intended to address a growing demand for information about and training for cannabis jobs.
Last fall, Stockton University, in New Jersey, launched an interdisciplinary minor in cannabis studies. The public institution opted to keep its curriculum open to a range of applications for the plant.
"We decided to treat it as any other industry, and I think that opened up more venues for us," said Ekaterina Sedia, the program's coordinator and an associate professor of biology at Stockton.
Stockton University will partner with Philadelphia-based Thomas Jefferson University’s Institute of Emerging Health Professions to enhance its cannabis studies program.
The partnership, announced Tuesday, will provide collaboration opportunities for staff and students with Jefferson’s Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp.
This fall, Stockton added a new minor in Cannabis Studies that addresses issues surrounding the use of medical marijuana in New Jersey and the proposed legalization of recreational marijuana.
The new minor addresses Stockton’s mission to prepare students for the complexities of the world in which they will live and work and the issues that are shaping the future of New Jersey and the nation.
Students interested in law school or a career in law enforcement will want to understand how the legal landscape is changing, while students interested in a business degree, working in data security or in IT may want to gain a foothold in what many expect to be a growth industry.