Colorado State-Pueblo will be the latest to offer a cannabis major

A university in Colorado is banking on the future of cannabis. Students at Colorado State University’s Pueblo campus will be able to major in cannabis starting in the fall.

It’s the latest sign of the economic influence of cannabis in this pot-pioneering state — Colorado was one of the first two states to vote to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012, along with Washington state.

The university will offer a bachelor of science degree in cannabis biology and chemistry starting in the fall. State officials announced Friday the approval of the first cannabis-related degree program in the state.

David Lehmpuhl, dean of CSU-Pueblo’s College of Science and Mathematics, said the program will educate students on the science needed to work in a burgeoning cannabis industry. The program will provide the option of focusing on natural products or analytical chemistry.

“It’s a rigorous degree geared toward the increasing demand coming about because of the cannabis industry,” Lehmpuhl told the Denver Post. “Hemp and marijuana has really come to the forefront in a lot of economic sectors in the country.”

In June, the Colorado Department of Revenue said the state had surpassed $1 billion in marijuana-related revenue since sales started in 2014. State officials said marijuana tax, license and fee revenue had hit $1.02 billion. Marijuana sales alone at that point had surpassed $6.56 billion.

“This industry is helping grow our economy by creating jobs and generating valuable revenue that is going towards preventing youth consumption, protecting public health and safety and investing in public school construction,” Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement.

The Colorado school joins a handful of universities already offering cannabis-related degrees. Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Mich., and Minot State University in Minot, N.D., both offer bachelor’s degrees in medicinal plant chemistry.