Stockton University will begin offering an undergraduate degree in cannabis studies this fall, becoming the first college or university in New Jersey to do so.
Stockton — which has a main campus in Galloway and other locations in Atlantic City, Hammonton, Manahawkin and Woodbine — will offer the Bachelor of Science in Hemp and Cannabis Business Management degree. The degree builds on the university's existing Cannabis Studies minor, which has had more than 70 graduates since it launched in 2018.
The core of the curriculum for the degree involves traditional business classes, but students will also learn about a variety of topics related to cannabis, with courses focused on topics like cannabis cultivation, social justice and cannabis, and introduction to medical cannabis. Students can also gain experiential learning through field internships. After graduating, they could go on to fill various roles in labs or dispensaries, or work in management, marketing, accounting, social media or compliance for cannabis companies.
"There are quite a number of employment opportunities in our job market in New Jersey, and cannabis is one of the fastest growing in the country," said Rob Mejia, who has been an adjunct professor in cannabis education at Stockton for four years. "At the end of 2022, there were about 4,200 full-time jobs, and then at the end of 2023 there were over 7,000, and that rate is kind of continuing. … And these are professional jobs. They're well paying, they're needed, and they're very diverse."
In New Jersey, cannabis has been legal for medical use since 2010 and was legalized for recreational use in 2021. For medicinal purposes, cannabis can be used to prevent seizures, fight cancer, treat anxiety disorders and lower blood pressure. On the recreational side, New Jersey's edible cannabis business, including infused snacks and beverages, has begun expanding, according to Mejia. Hemp is a form of cannabis; Mejia calls it "a plant that's grown for useful purposes, and it does not get anyone high. … It's an extremely useful fiber, just like cotton." Hemp is used to make CBD oil and for industrial purposes like making building materials, textiles, apparel, beauty products and carpet.
This year, New Jersey is on track to sell more than $1 billion in cannabis products, according to Mejia. While the cannabis business is booming, Mejia notes there is still a stigma surrounding cannabis use. Mejia — who has worked as a journalist covering cannabis and wrote two books on the topic, including "The Essential Cannabis Book" (2018) and "The Essential Cannabis Journal" (2019) — directs an on-campus club called Cannabis Ospreys that aims to fight the stigma through guest speakers and charity events. Last year, the club had 50 members and Mejia believes there will be an increase this year as the degree program launches.
"There's kind of a whole system that I've developed that I tell my students about, if you are talking to somebody who's very skeptical or even even anti-cannabis from the beginning, and part of it is to find out what they know about it to start with, because oftentimes they will know little or they'll just know some of the stereotypes that are around it," Mejia said.
Stockton's cannabis degree may be the first of its kind in New Jersey, but Mejia said there are a "handful" of similar programs around the country, including at LIM College in New York; Roanoke College in Virginia; California Polytechnic State University, Humboldt; Lake Superior State University in Michigan; and Colorado State University.
Mejia has gotten the chance to share ideas and learn from professors in some of those other programs through annual "national cannabis curriculum convening" that he's been running each year since he began working at Stockton. In April, he invited cannabis professors from across the country to get together on Zoom and talk about what they teach in class, including medical, cultivation, science and social justice topics.
There are also other cannabis studies offerings across the state of New Jersey. For instance, Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, and William Paterson University, in Wayne, offer cannabis-related certificates. Hudson County Community College in Jersey City offers a business administration degree with a focus on cannabis studies. Stockton has an affiliation agreement with HCCC that allows any student who goes through the cannabis associates degree to transfer to Stockton and complete a four-year degree in cannabis studies. Rowan University, located not far from Stockton in Glassboro, offers an MBA in cannabis commercialization studies.
"So foreseeably, somebody could actually get an associate's degree, get a four-year degree, and then even get an MBA in cannabis," Mejia said.
In Philadelphia — where marijuana is illegal for recreational use but possession of small amounts is decriminalized — Saint Joseph's University offers certificates in cannabis studies, and Thomas Jefferson University offers a Master of Science degree in medical cannabis science and business.
Mejia said he predicts more universities will jump into cannabis studies — "in part, just because we need trained workers" — but for now, he's hopeful that Stockton's program can pave the way locally.
"I'm hoping that we'll get robust enrollment," Mejia said. "A lot of the colleges and universities are really scrambling to get students. … So we need to come up with programs that are going to attract students. And I think this one will. So my hope is that we have a good and strong enrollment, and that the students get jobs immediately upon graduation, and that they contribute to the industry in a smart, ethical and social way."
