ST. CLOUD, Minn. — More than 350 people over the last year have enrolled in St. Cloud State University’s cannabis certificate programs, the first school in Minnesota to offer courses like it in the state in wake of marijuana legalization last year.
The five courses, which range from cannabis horticulture to business, take 24 weeks to complete and are fully online. Students enrolled can learn at their own pace and will receive a certificate by its end. It’s a partnership with California-based cannabis training company, Green Flower, which has industry experts as instructors.
“It is going wonderfully. It’s surpassing every goal we ever set for it,” said Abram Hedtke, executive director of Professional and Continuing Education or PACE, which oversees the new program. “We continue to advance what we’re offering to the state of Minnesota in the cannabis education industry.”
Most of the students — 95% of them — live in Minnesota, Hedtke said, and they hail from 150 different cities and towns. The growing interest comes as the state readies for legal market launch, estimated sometime next year. Regulators have already begun the process for issuing the initial licenses.