Marijuana Courses Offered at Colleges Across the Country

Across the country, college students from Colorado to Ohio are clamoring to sign up for law school classes focusing on marijuana.

At the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University, Friday afternoon classes aren’t very popular. Unless it’s Marijuana Law, Policy & Reform.

“I would like to imagine a world when all law students have to take it because it’s that important but right now it’s an elective and it’s very popular,” said Moritz College of Law Professor Doug Berman.

At the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver, it’s not a late afternoon class but an early morning class.

“It’s not an easy class. I don’t do easy classes,” said one student.

Colorado voters passed Amendment 64, which legalized marijuana, in November 2012. Retail pot sales began Jan. 1, 2014.

The marijuana law classes have been nicknamed Weed 101. Initially there were jokes made about law school professors teaching marijuana law.

“There still was a little bit of snicker quality to this, ‘Oh, you’re just doing this for fun.’ It’s not, it’s an area that needs some serious attention,” said Berman.

With the legalization of marijuana in states around the country, snickering has been replaced with serious study of the issue.

“I was a lot more closed about it my year. The atmosphere was a lot different than two years ago,” said one DU law student.

DU Professor Sam Kamin admits that his nickname around campus is the Pot Professor.

“Yeah, that’s me,” said Kamin.

Kamin is passionate about helping students understand the new and often confusing laws that come with legalizing marijuana.

“What I hope they learn is that issues arise when you’re representing marijuana clients whether it be individuals or clients,” said Kamin.

Kamin’s class has a large waiting list.

“I’ve gotten calls from attorneys in town and around the country and law students around who want to take it or audit it,” said Kamin.

Both professors and students see the opportunity as a potentially lucrative area of law to pursue.

“I’m interested in tax law in general and I’m interested in marijuana so I figured it goes hand in hand,” said one DU law student.

“The reforms will be most successful if lawyers and new students understand both sides of the issue,” said Berman.

While some students are anxious to sign up for a cannabis course and find the subject matter intriguing and relevant, not everyone is anxious to inform their families they’re taking the course.

“I don’t really know what grandma would say about that,” said one DU student.

Professors disagree saying that grandma would likely be pleased when her law school graduate gets a coveted job in the growing and often profitable marijuana industry.

No doubt about it, college and cannabis go well together, particularly if you’re seeking true mind and entrepreneurial expansion, as opposed to a few semesters of mental demolition derby.

Regardless, marijuana has been associated with a highly intellectual, bohemian undergrad lifestyle since Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac smoked out New York’s Columbia University back in the ’40s.

But while marijuana use has undoubtedly become more mainstream over the years, some schools are certainly more suitable than others. So, with that in mind, courtesy of HIGH TIMES, we proudly presents the annual list of the Top 10 cannabis colleges in America. Please bear in mind that this is a highly subjective ranking, and there are many other colleges that offer cannabis in their curriculum across the US.

1) University of Colorado – Boulder, CO
Founded: 1876
Enrollment: 25,607
Out-of-state tuition: $21,453
Web site: colorado.edu
A recent study commissioned by the US Department of Health and Human Services ranked Boulder as the second-most-pot-smokingest city in America (behind Boston). It’s no coincidence that this offbeat locale was where Mork set down his spaceship in Mork and Mindy—but if the local freaks ever get to be too much for you, solitude can be found in the Rocky Mountain National Forest, which practically borders the campus.

2) University of Wisconsin – Madison, WI
Founded: 1848
Enrollment: 28,217
Out-of-state tuition: $19,866
Web site: wisc.edu
The original home of The Onion (America’s finest news source), UW boasts a history of antiestablishment ideals and lenient local laws when it comes to marijuana.

3) University of Florida – Gainesville, FL
Founded: 1905
Enrollment: 33,129
Out-of-state tuition: $15,827
Web site: ufl.edu
Nothing wrong with a little fun in the sun—and it’s all the better with a handful of the local Gainesville green to go along with all those blue skies.

4) University of Oregon – Eugene, OR
Founded: 1876
Enrollment: 16,024
Out-of-state tuition: $16,914
Web site: uoregon.edu
Situated in the city known as the capital of American anarchism, UO boasts easy access to both the Cascade Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.

5) Hampshire College – South Amherst, MA
Founded: 1970
Enrollment: 1,344
Out-of-state tuition: $33,099
Web site: hampshire.edu
Recently made famous as the home away from home of über-stoners Jarrett (Jimmy Fallon) and Gobi (Horatio Sanz) on Saturday Night Live, Hampshire has a well-deserved reputation for encouraging experimentation of all kinds.

6) University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, MI
Founded: 1817
Enrollment: 24,677
Out-of-state tuition: $26,028
Web site: umich.edu
Home of the infamous annual Hash Bash, and once the launch pad for such radicals as John Sinclair, the MC5 and the Students for a Democratic Society.

7) New College of Florida – Sarasota, FL
Founded: 1960
Enrollment: ~700
Out-of-state tuition: $19,475
Web site: ncf.edu
By far the smallest school to make our list, New College allows students to create their own classes. Make up your own course in psychedelia and follow in the footsteps of famous alum Rick Doblin, who went on to found the highly respected Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. The campus, designed by acclaimed architect I.M. Pei and covered in towering palms and lush banyan trees, enjoys beautiful tropical sunsets nightly.

8) Humboldt State University – Arcata, CA
Founded: 1913
Enrollment: 6,368
Out-of-state tuition: $13,036
Web site: humboldt.edu

9) Wesleyan University – Middletown, CT
Founded: 1831
Enrollment: 2,755
Out-of-state tuition: $33,190
Web site: wesleyan.edu
The school was the inspiration for the movie PCU, and, true to form, the average Wesleyan student finds himself (forgive me: him/herself) politically just to the left of Michael Moore.

10) University of Vermont – Burlington, VT
Founded: 1791
Enrollment: 8,156
Out-of-state tuition: $24,934
Web site: uvm.edu
The birthplace of Phish can be found high upon a hill overlooking Lake Champlain, in a valley in the shadow of the aptly named Green Mountains. Meanwhile, on campus, UVM represents the best that New England collegiate life has to offer—including a top-notch liberal-arts program and some fantastic local produce come harvest time.