Where can you study cannabis in Europe?

As the medical and recreational cannabis industry expands, institutions dedicated to the study of cannabis are springing up all over the world. In the U.S., universities such as Harvard, Denver University and Oregon State University have integrated cannabis-related courses into their graduate programs, while Oaksterdam provides comprehensive training on the plant.

The same is true of South America, where the Bogotá-based National University of Colombia offers cannabis cultivation courses open to the general public. They began this Monday, August 26, and will end in mid-October. But what about Europe? Is it possible to study cannabis on the Old Continent?

Long story short: no university specializes in cannabis, but several institutes and local initiatives do exist.

1) Prague: The International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute

In the Czech capital, the International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute (ICCI) opened its doors on December 15, 2015. It features some well-known names:

• Lumír Ondřej Hanuš, Czech chemist and leading figure in cannabis research in the Czech Republic.
• Israeli physician Raphaël Mechoulam, one of the pioneers of therapeutic cannabis and best known for isolating the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in cannabis for the first time in 1964

The institute will draw in part on the extensive knowledge of Dr. Hanuš and Raphaël Mechoulam, accumulated since the 1960s, and will aim to investigate the possibilities of using cannabis in the treatment of several diseases. The institute's future research will contribute to a better understanding of the effect of cannabis on the human body and disease, and provide the scientific tools to create new treatments.

Address: Jáchymova 26/2, 110 00 Staré Město, Prague.

2) Oxford University, England

Oxford University has decided to take the lead and launch a research program on medical cannabis, with a budget of £10 million.

Same goal as ICCI: to study the effects of cannabinoids on various pathologies (chronic pain, inflammatory diseases) and propose new treatments.

3) Amsterdam: The Cannabis College

In the city of Amsterdam, you can find in the famous Red Light District, the Cannabis College. Established in 1997, the Cannabis College is a non-profit institution dedicated to providing information about cannabis. With topics ranging from global legalization to the benefits of hemp and medical cannabis, the college boasts an extensive library and a basement with a few cannabis plants. An experienced grower is on hand to provide guidance. The establishment functions as a learning center rather than a school with a diploma to match. However, a online quiz is available to obtain a «diploma» from Amsterdam's Cannabis College.

Address: OZ Achterburgwal 124 | 1012 DT Amsterdam. The center is open to the public daily, from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.

4) The Higher Institute of Cannabiculture

L’Institut Supérieur du Cannabis (or ISC Europe) offers an online, in-person diploma course in the cannabis industry. The comprehensive program ranges from the history of hemp through the ages to the marketing applications of cannabis, including outdoor and indoor cultivation and extraction.

This comprehensive program has already enabled students from the first graduating classes to start working in the hemp industry in Europe.

For those wishing to learn how to grow or process cannabis, Europe is not the best place to do so. There are, however, a few online courses, taught by Americans, and therefore in English:

• The Cannabis Training University
• The THC University

These courses are not free of charge and lead to a diploma recognized by the US cannabis industry.

On the European side, that leaves the traditional universities of agronomy, medicine or chemistry (for extractions), with a specialty that can be established in a more... personal way 🙂

Mehdi Bautier