Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts. The educational institution is one of a growing list of colleges and universities offering courses related to the emerging legal cannabis industry.
“Green Flower partnered with WPI and launched the online program in September 2022. The program offers five different certifications: health care and medicine, agriculture and horticulture, business, compliance and risk management, and their newest program, product development and design.” stated the Worcester Telegram & Gazette in recent reporting.
“More than 120 students have participated in the programs since their launch.” the local media outlet also reported.
A researcher associated with the Department of Economics at the University of Oklahoma recently examined college enrollment rates and state-level recreational cannabis laws. The results of the study were published in Economic Inquiry.
“This paper examines how recreational marijuana legalization (RML) affects first-time college enrollment in the US using a unique college-level dataset and various estimation methods such as difference-in-differences and event study.” the study’s author stated.
“I find that RML increases enrollments by approximately up to 9%, without compromising degree completion or graduation rate, and it boosts college competitiveness by offering a positive amenity, as evidenced by the rise in out-of-state enrollments relative to neighboring states.” the author stated about the study’s findings.
“In addition, I find no evidence that RML affects college prices, quality, or in-state enrollment. This effect is stronger for non-selective public colleges in early-adopting RML states.” the researcher concluded.
Other examples of colleges offering cannabis industry-focused courses can be found at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota and the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR).
Currently, 24 states and the District of Columbia have adopted recreational cannabis legalization measures. The United States adult-use cannabis industry has generated over $20 billion in total tax revenue since the first legal recreational cannabis purchase was made in Colorado on January 1st, 2014 according to a new report by the Marijuana Policy Project.
“Through the first quarter of 2024, states have reported a combined total of more than $20 billion in tax revenue from legal, adult-use cannabis sales. In 2023 alone, legalization states generated more than $4 billion in cannabis tax revenue from adult-use sales, which is the most revenue generated by cannabis sales in a single year.” the Marijuana Policy Project stated in a press release.
Total legal cannabis sales in the United States are expected to reach $31.4 billion in 2024 according to a recent analysis by Whitney Economics. Additionally, leading cannabis jobs platform Vangst, in conjunction with Whitney Economics, estimates that the legal cannabis industry now supports 440,445 full time-equivalent cannabis jobs in the United States.
Whitney Economics also projects the following legal cannabis sales figures in the United States for the coming years:
- 2024: $31.4 billion (9.1% growth from 2023)
- 2025: $35.2 billion (12.1% growth from 2024)
- 2030: $67.2 billion
- 2035: $87.0 billion
The emerging legal cannabis industry in the United States is projected to add roughly $112 billion to the nation’s economy in 2024 according to a newly released analysis by MJBiz Daily. The projection is part of the company’s 2024 MJBiz Factbook.
“The total U.S. economic impact generated by regulated marijuana sales could top $112.4 billion in 2024, about 12% more than last year,” MJBiz stated in its initial reporting.