The world's first marijuana university, Medical Marijuana Tampa, has been set up in Florida, and aims to create new jobs in the growing legalized marijuana industry.
The marijuana university is the brainchild of 33-year old Jeremy Bufford, who hopes to educate people via Medical Marijuana Tampa, as well as offer training for jobs in the medical marijuana arena.
"Let's bring this medicine out of the darkness and into the light," said Bufford to ABC Action News. "We're doing something innovative, [it is] education oriented. We're not trying to set up a shop where we're selling drugs. We're trying to educate people."
The course teaches about the advanced hydroponic and aeroponic techniques necessary for the production of medical grade marijuana, but that "is the extent of the class," per Bufford.
"Our class is called "Education in Cultivation," it's a deep dive into cannabis from a legal, historical, botanical and a pharmacological perspective," said Bufford to CNN.
The course will also impart knowledge on the ins and outs of the medical marijuana industry. To achieve this, Bufford has brought in several experts who are "far more informed about the product" than him. Professors from California, as well as marijuana growers from Michigan will be a part of the Medical Marijuana Tampa initiative.
"I'm putting together a brain trust. The smartest, the best and the brightest to lead our organization into the future," per Bufford.
Currently, Bufford has one class and has limited classes to ten students as he wants a "smaller more intimate setting." Classes are held twice a week for four weeks and amounts to 16 hours. Apparently the enrollment for the initial class sold out within 24 hours.
The syllabus for the course is as follows:
The history of cannabis
Growing fundamentals
Sexing (of seeds)
Flavoring and additives
What to do when talking to law enforcement
The "Education in Cultivation" course costs $499 and is taught by Carlos Hermida, an alumnus of Oaksterdam University.
However, since Florida is yet to legalize marijuana, students deploy peppers and tomatoes instead. Bufford has introduced the classes in anticipation that Florida's vote on legalizing medical marijuana will bear a positive outcome.
Bufford is also looking for private investors to bring in $10 million to help the university grow. If things go according to plan, then by 2015 Medical Marijuana Tampa intends on opening 15 treatment centers, 1 laboratory testing facility and a couple of classrooms across Tampa Bay.
