Missouri colleges now offering courses on medical marijuana industry

MARYVILLE, Mon. – The jobs of tomorrow are here. And while it may come as a surprise to your parents (or grandparents), one of the most explosive industries in Missouri didn’t even exist a few years ago.

The medical marijuana industry.

At least two universities in Missouri are preparing for the new job market with a curriculum around cannabis.

Northwest Missouri State University and Saint Louis University offer both medical cannabis certificates.

“We are working on ways we can increase the workforce in Missouri, and this cannabis program is just one way we are doing it,” said Dr. Jay Johnson, Associate Provost in Northwest Missouri.

The Northwest Missouri cannabis certification program is offered online by third party provider Green Flower.

“They are six months long. There are three 8 week courses that are fully online and asynchronous. That means you don’t have to be anywhere online at any specific time, which is great, ”said Daniel Kalef of Green Flower.

There are four different areas of focus for the Northwest Certificate: Healthcare and Medicine, Law and Politics, Cannabis Business, and Cannabis Agriculture and Horticulture.

Johnson said there had been very little criticism of the new program.

“Missouri is known to be a fairly conservative state, but people are changing opinions and our board of directors is sort of a reflection of our state,” Johnson told FOX4. “But they are very advanced when it comes to how we look at cannabis in the state of Missouri.”