At Olive Harvey College, there sits a greenhouse where a unique achievement could soon come to fruition. Olive Harvey College could soon become the first in Illinois to offer an associate degree in “Applied Cannabis Studies.” Over 140 students enrolled in a certificate program that will teach them how to grow and maintain hemp plants. This program would mark out the first of its kind in the state of Illinois.
They plan to call the cannabis degree “Applied Cannabis Studies.” They designed it as a way for students to gain an advantage in the cannabis industry to acquire the proper licensing.
Some of the things that you will learn from this degree include:
- Cannabis laws
- Basic chemistry
- General botany
- Hemp horticulture
When you participate in the program, it will give you hands-on experience with cultivating marijuana plants. They based the degree on concrete science, and you can take the degree to enter high-paying fields in the cannabis industry. You could work as a cannabis consultant, grow master, extraction technician or dispensary operator.
Torrence Jackson, a student enrolled in the cannabis degree program, has said that he hopes to open a dispensary one day after finishing the program. He will help other dispensaries to get their products out as well. The hours Jackson accumulates will roll over into a 61-credit degree.
Illinois legalized recreational cannabis on January 1, 2020, and since the legalization, legal marijuana has soared to over $1 billion annually in profits.
Sadly, minorities also faced discrimination when it came to getting licenses in Illinois, and they were largely excluded. We just saw the first predominantly Black-owned dispensary open in Rockford in October 2022. That’s two years after they legalized recreational marijuana. The business is called “Star Buds.”
In July 2022, Illinois issued over 150 new cannabis retail licenses. Of the licenses issued, 41 percent are Black-owned, but we see further inequities where only four percent of Latinos were issued a license. Getting involved in this associate degree program at Olive Harvey University will give students a greater chance at being issued one of these licenses.
