New Cannabis Curriculum For SU Students
By Max Williams – 02/02/2023
With the cannabis industry on the rise, schools, and colleges across the country have taken the initiative to be a part of it. One of those schools, Syracuse University, bringing the industry to life for their students. However, none of this would be possible without Green Flower, an online cannabis training program.
Nate Fowler is a managing director for Green Flower; he explains what the program entails,
“No one really has kind of a formal background around the industry and how it works and certain kind of knowledge base that they need to be successful when they come into a new role, so Green Flower started partnering with universities and colleges, Syracuse being one of those and that is really one of the ways we’re trying to legitimize the industry,” said Fowler.
Syracuse partnered with Green Flower in 2021, and the program has grown tremendously. Fowler says partnering with colleges and universities has been crucial,
“Green Flower started partnering with universities and colleges, Syracuse being one of those, and that is really one of the ways we’re trying to legitimize the industry,” he said.
Legitimizing the program has been the biggest challenge so far for Green Flower. The continued stigma around cannabis and federal laws has prevented the program from being able to offer internships and provide financial aid. However, schools and colleges like Syracuse have helped in limiting those challenges. Jim Gaffey, who works within the leadership team for the College of Professional Studies at Syracuse, says,
“We saw an opportunity for Syracuse University to be a leader in this space and to help grow and, to your point earlier about stigma, to really help grow this industry responsibly and sustainably,” he said.
Gaffey has worked with Green Flower since the university first partnered with them. He is proud of the partnership and thinks it adds an essential aspect to the university,
“It’s no longer kind of a fringe idea or concept like this is something that is here to stay, so we want to make sure students, particularly at Syracuse University, have an opportunity to participate and be successful,” said Gaffey.
The industry is changing rapidly, and Fowler’s team and schools like Syracuse are all here for it. As for Syracuse University, the cannabis program remains compact, consisting of certificate programs and a minor. Still, Gaffey fully expects the program to grow at the university and continue to lead students into a multibillion-dollar industry, ready to escalate.
