As the cannabis industry continues to blossom, Eastern Michigan University is offering two unique courses in the fall semester.
One of the courses, URP 479: Canna-plannnig: Marijuana Legalization and Land-Use in Michigan, will explore cannabis prohibition, the war on drugs, rural and urban cultivation, the regulation of legal sales, and the taxes generated from the industry. The class is intended to help students understand local and state marijuana laws.
“There isn’t another course like this in the United States,” Dr. RJ Koscielniak, an assistant professor in geography and geology, said in a statement Tuesday. “No other university is teaching this material and asking these kinds of questions with their students.”
In 2023, licensed cannabis dispensaries in Michigan rang up a record of $3.06 billion in sales, a 25% increase over 2022. With a 10% excise tax on recreational cannabis sales, more than $274 million will go to local governments, schools, and roads this year, according to a Metro Times analysis.
“Cannabis legalization has transformed a lot of places in Michigan — some changes are good and some changes haven’t been necessarily positive,” Koscielniak said. “We get to talk about all that and really have a chance to make sure legalization benefits everyone.”
EMU students also will be offered a chemistry of cannabis class, which will explore the scientific angle of marijuana. That includes how plant sources are extracted to access the terpenes, cannabinoids (CBD), and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
“Understanding the science of how cannabis products are made, tested for adherence to regulations, and how they interact with the end users is even more important now that legalization is expanding across the country,” Dr. Harriet Lindsay, professor and interim department head of chemistry, said.
Other universities, from the University of Michigan to Lake Superior State University, have built curriculum around cannabis.
