Rangsit University will be the first school in Thailand to offer marijuana classes in hopes of answering the growing demand for skilled ganja professionals.
On Tuesday, the school’s Agricultural Innovation Faculty unveiled a new undergraduate marijuana studies program, which will cover topics such as cultivation technology, the cannabis industry and medical marijuana.
“The world has advanced greatly in marijuana research, especially medical marijuana. But in Thailand, we don’t have skilled workers that know much about cannabis. … We will be the pioneers of marijuana education programs in Thailand,” Banyat Saitthiti, faculty dean, told ThaiPBS.
“Once we have knowledge about marijuana, we can develop our own strains, and in the future we’ll have marijuana farms and stuff. I believe that’s where we’re headed,” the associate professor added.
He said the program would likely open in August for the next academic year.
Under the program, juniors in the four-year Agricultural Innovation program will be able to specialize in cannabis with classes revolving around four main subjects: marijuana history, marijuana farming tech, strain cultivation and development, and the development of marijuana for medical use – according to information released. The faculty aims to produce students qualified to become entrepreneurs or work on marijuana farms abroad.
Specialty marijuana classes won’t be offered until the third year, after undergrads have completed their first two years of core curriculum, Pubate Kwanmunee of the school’s Agricultural Innovation Faculty told Coconuts Bangkok this afternoon.
Interested applicants can apply in person at the university, on the third floor of the Arthit Urairat Building.
Those who wish to apply must complete high school or have an equivalent vocational degree in math, science and the arts. Eligible applicants are required to have a cumulative GPA of over 2.0.
Four years of tuition at the university runs about THB362,000 (US$11,000). Full-ride scholarships are available. The university will accept scholarship applications through the end of this month.
Late last month, the university launched what it billed as the kingdom’s first medical cannabis research facility in cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration and Health Ministry. Details on how it might be integrated into the academic program were still being fleshed out, Pubate said.
Last year, Coconuts TV produced a docu-series – now available exclusively on Netflix – called “HIGHLAND: Thailand’s Marijuana Awakening” that explores how the marijuana legalization movement got started in Thailand.
Coconuts TV spoke to many vets in the industry including as doctors, patients whose lives have been improved from CBD oil as well as members of Highland, a pro-cannabis advocacy group.
