In 2023, LSU launched an online cannabis program with Green Flower to educate students about the intricacies of the industry, and Boyd, now living in Virginia, registered and completed the program. But with tight regulations on medical cannabis growing licenses in Louisiana, graduates of the program are moving elsewhere for jobs within the industry or leaving it altogether.
LSU's online program has five different tracks for students to choose from: Cannabis Healthcare and Medicine, Cannabis Agriculture and Horticulture, Business of Cannabis, Cannabis Compliance and Risk Management, and Cannabis Product Development and Design. Courses are self-paced but scheduled to run 24 weeks and billed starting at $499 per month.
Thus far, LSU has awarded 267 certificates to 245 students. Currently, there are 89 students in the program.
LSU online students are not necessarily in the state. According to Max Simon — CEO and founder of Green Flower, the California company that provides the curriculum for LSU's online certificate program — that's part of the beauty of the program. Louisiana doesn't have a high concentration of cannabis experts who could teach these classes locally, Simon said, and his company seeks to bridge this gap.
Read more at nola.com