The Cannabis Studies Program is a pioneering undergraduate minor studies program focused on cannabis. DePaul faculty with expertise in the subject mobilized to develop the program soon after the State of Illinois legalized adult recreational cannabis in summer 2019. Our faculty recognized that the emerging cannabis industry beckoned for a response attentive to the question of social equity even while observing that our students sought specialized training for work in this new industry. To provoke campus conversations and inform a distinctively DePaul, mission-driven approach in the field, in autumn 2019 the Office of the Provost hosted a panel discussion that explored the historical, scientific, legal, business, and ethical considerations of legalization. In 2020, faculty piloted new courses on “Cannabis Business” (in the Marketing Department) and “Cannabis and Society” (in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies). Based on the strong enrollments and the eagerness of students to take further courses, the faculty reconvened to outline a full curriculum for a minor consisting of several new courses (for example, “Cannabis, Race, and Justice”) in addition to existing ones (such as “Drugs and Society” and “The Politics of Drug Reform”). Approved in spring 2022, the minor received its first declaration in autumn 2022.
To commemorate the program’s launch, in November 2022 the Cannabis Studies Program, in collaboration with the Marketing Department and several other campus partners, hosted a panel discussion on “Social Equity and Cannabis Regulation,” with invited experts who work in the nonprofit, advocacy, and business sectors offering perspectives on “what must be done” to achieve social equity. The event energized faculty, students, and community members to continue the conversation and partner together on initiatives that would promote awareness as well as catalyze concrete actions in academic, legislative, business, and civic spheres.
In addition to providing an administrative home for the minor, the Cannabis Studies Program also sustains a community of scholars and facilitates networking with other academic programs, industry and nonprofit partners, and professional organizations.
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