We teach what we know scientifically and clinically about the plant,” said Program Director Dr. Leah Sera, who has been an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at UMB since 2012. “In order to make this a 30-credit master’s program, we dive into a lot of the background literature, the research, the policies and the regulations.”
around the country, Sera and her colleagues will adapt. “The program is likely to evolve itself, as what we know evolves,” she said. “It’s not going to be a static program.” Interaction between students takes place largely inside a Facebook Group. Topics are approached and participants are encouraged to interact and engage with each other. “There are lawyers, pharmacists, CBD entrepreneurs – folks as young as 20 and as old as 70,” said Cineas, who is also the Operations Manager of the Potomac Holistics dispensary in Rockville. “We even have a lot of students who have never tried Cannabis and are just there solely to learn from it.”
D
r. Sera hopes UMB’s bold foray
into medical Cannabis will serve as inspiration to
graduate.umaryland.edu other institutions around the country and the world. “I think we are already seeing more and more colleges and universities incorporate medical Cannabis into their curricula, either by developing full programs or individual courses,” she said. Under her guidance, UMB plans to be a trailblazer in improving treatment for medical Cannabis patients. “We want to move the field forward in terms of policy development and clinical practice,” she said. “The field of medical Cannabis is rapidly evolving and the University of Maryland is ready to meet the challenge of evolving with it.”
STORY by BAXSEN PAINE for LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND