Rutgers Law School will launch a six-month Certificate in Cannabis Law and Business in January 2023. This non-credit program brings together 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. It 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.
Rutgers Law School Co-Deans Kimberly Mutcherson and Rose Cuison-Villazor said, “This new certificate is exactly the kind of work that we want to be doing as New Jersey's state law school. 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.
Chirali Patel, Esq., another instructor and the founder of Blaze Responsibly Law Firm, said, “It was a dream of mine to return to my alma mater and be part of the fabric that positively influenced me. I’m grateful to be amongst a team of incredible instructors to educate those seeking to enter the legal cannabis industry in NJ.”
More information about the program is available at go.rutgers.edu/CLBCert.