Cannabis journalism classes at Berkeley this summer

With the U.S. cannabis industry eagerly awaiting the legalization of cannabis in the remaining states, including California in November, some universities are already offering courses on cannabis to train future journalists to understand this new market.

L’University of California, Berkeley will therefore be offering courses on cannabis journalism this summer. The courses will be taught by David Downs, a journalist who contributes to Wired and SFGate and is the author of the *Beyond Buds* books (which, as you might have guessed, are about cannabis).

Aspiring journalists will learn how to develop their sources, conduct interviews, and write quickly, and will be introduced to blogging and multimedia. David Downs will also share his experience in the cannabis industry.

Downs did, in fact, begin covering the cannabis industry with the’East Bay Express in 2009. Shortly after Downs became editor of the section Smell the truth On SFGate, the newspaper became the first major publication to cover the rapidly growing industry with The Cannabist.

At the time, media coverage of the cannabis market was virtually nonexistent. In 2012, the Denver Post launched The Cannabist And coverage by media outlets such as Vice, through its “Weediquette” program, has brought new perspectives and new players to the coverage of industry news.

UC Berkeley is following the the same path as the University of Denver last summer which had offered a course on cannabis journalism for the first time. «Students can visit dispensaries and interview industry professionals,» according to the university.

While traditional newspapers are slowly shifting their editorial stance, according to Downs, the industry needs more professionals. Behind the cannabis editorial landscape lies the need for dispensaries to communicate. This creates new jobs in the cannabis industry !