Both hemp and marijuana businesses are taking careful note as professional cannabis courses and programs spring up at universities and other educational institutions across the country.

Examples include Northern Michigan University, Doane University in Nebraska, the University of Denver and University of California, Davis, with colleges offering a huge variety of cannabis-focused four-year undergraduate degree programs, certification classes and even graduate degrees.

Cannabis businesses are watching this educational trend because:

• There is a shortage of people highly knowledgeable about advanced cannabis business, technology and legal/compliance topics, so graduates from the programs could potentially prove ideal candidates for employee recruitment.

• As well-established universities expand offerings around cannabis education, some industry watchers believe this could help to further destigmatize the marijuana industry – and possibly help nudge federal cannabis reform forward.

• The courses help to underline the expanding employment opportunities