Rutgers Law to offer Certificate in Cannabis Law and Business

New 6-month noncredit program supports business owners entering N.J.’s legal cannabis industry

Rutgers Law School will launch a six-month Certificate in Cannabis Law and Business in January 2023, the school announced Tuesday.

The noncredit program will provide business owners with a thorough grounding in the rules and regulations of New Jersey’s cannabis industry as they pertain to every aspect of running a business, ensuring that people entering the market have the information they need to run legally compliant businesses.

This is the first program that Rutgers Law School has developed to support participants who are not J.D. students or legal professionals. The curriculum has been developed specifically for New Jersey’s legal cannabis industry, making it highly specific to the needs of the local community.

The program will feature expert faculty from across Rutgers Law School, Rutgers School of Business-Camden, Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and Rutgers School of Communication and Information, alongside industry experts and guest speakers.

Rutgers Law School co-Deans Kimberly Mutcherson and Rose Cuison-Villazor said the program meets the needs of the day.

“This new certificate is exactly the kind of work that we want to be doing as New Jersey’s state law school,” they said in a joint statement. “Now that the state Legislature has legalized the cannabis industry here, we want to ensure that we can provide crucial information to the citizens of New Jersey who want to enter this business, especially those from communities that traditionally bore the brunt of punitive outcomes before legalization.”

The full six-month certificate costs $2,695. Individual modules can also be purchased for between $600 and $850.

A limited number of scholarships will be available for people who have received, or who will be applying for, Social Equity business licenses through New Jersey’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission. Applications for these scholarships will open in October. Additional partnerships with community organizations will also be announced.

For more information, click here.