By Jen SamuelFor the Daily Times

UPPER PROVIDENCE — With the U.S. cannabis market worth an estimated $38.5 billion — and growing — this summer Pennsylvania Institute of Technology is launching its first four-year degree program in cannabis business studies.

“We offer an extensive curriculum in all aspects of the cannabis industry focusing strongly on the ancillary businesses that are so vital and needed in the adult-use and medical marijuana industry,” said Lou Giannotti, a registered pharmacist.

He is the cannabis studies program director at PIT.

“Our four-year degree provides our students with expanded business course instruction and key internship experiences to achieve their career goals,” Giannotti said. “They can emerge as leaders in the cannabis industry.”

Very few institutions across the nation offer cannabis business bachelor’s degrees.

PIT has designed its bachelor of science cannabis business degree program to prepare students for leadership roles in the ever-evolving cannabis industry while gaining specialized business, legal and scientific expertise in this swiftly evolving, ever-budding field.

Classes begin July 14. Enrollment is now open. Both virtual and in-person courses are available.

“Our cannabis business degree prepares our students to be successful professionals in all aspects of the cannabis industry, including cannabis business, cannabis health, cannabis horticulture, sales, marketing, product formulation, extraction and innovation,” Giannotti said.

The college already offers associate degrees in cannabis business, cannabis horticulture and cannabis health therapy.

“The cannabis industry is always seeking individuals knowledgeable in their industry’s social, legal, medical and business aspects. A formal educational degree in cannabis can make all the difference in your professional goals,” Giannotti said.

The program director said he hopes to see adult-use legalization, including at-home cannabis growing, in the commonwealth.

Lawmakers have decriminalized cannabis in states across the nation including some of Pennsylvania’s closest neighbors: Delaware, New York and New Jersey.

“Cannabis legalization can have a range of beneficial impacts across social, economic, and public health domains,” Giannotti said.

“Legal cannabis sales generate significant tax income for governments for public services like education, health care and infrastructure,” he said.

“The cannabis industry creates thousands of jobs in cultivation, retail, distribution, and ancillary services spanning marketing, security and compliance sectors,” Giannotti added.

Giannotti has advocated for legalization of cannabis in Harrisburg, calling the move an important step for criminal justice reform.

Addressing social equity opportunities, he said some legalization frameworks include policies to support individuals and communities disproportionately affected by the War on Drugs, such as expunging past convictions.

“We’re very lucky to get in on the ground floor and train this next generation right at the beginning,” said Sydney Hays, a cannabis studies professor at PIT.

Her background includes horticulture, cultivation and medicinal education.

“There are endless possibilities,” said Hays. “For our students, they can really do anything.”

“The program is just fantastic,” said Holly Porter of Media.

She is a 2022 graduate of PIT’s cannabis horticulture program. The wealth of knowledge gained is invaluable, she added. For instance, she learned plants grow differently today because of contaminants.

“Plants used to grow on their own fruitfully,” Porter said. “Now, in all yards, and all gardens, plants need a lot more care primarily because of our soil health and how we’ve abused herbicides, pesticides, our soil and the water. The change of how plants grow now — plants don’t have the same sense as they used to have. It is really interesting.”

Porter earned an associate’s degree in cannabis business and plans to enroll in the college’s new bachelor program next.

Arlo Cameron studies cannabis horticulture at PIT, adding “there’s always a medicinal benefit.”

“This college can take you anywhere you want to go,” said Cameron, a resident of Wilmington, said.

Besides cannabis studies, the college offers degrees in nursing, healthcare management, business, psychology, health science, and diagnostic medical sonography. PIT also offers competitive certificate programs.

More than 90% of students receive financial aid. 60% of students are first-generation college graduates.

“Pennsylvania Institute of Technology is dedicated to enriching the lives of our students,” said Matt Meyers, college president. “We empower our students to be game changers in the cannabis industry as this emerging market continues to evolve and grow at home and across America.”

Founded in 1953, student enrollment at PIT has grown over the past five years. From 2020 through 2024, enrollment surged to 1,405 from 906, an increase of 55%.

In the fall, ground will be broken to begin a multi-million-dollar expansion and renovation project, made possible thanks to a $3.9 million gift from the Walter R. Garrison Foundation to enhance the college’s educational facilities and further its mission to provide outstanding learning experiences.

The campus is at 800 Manchester Ave. in Upper Providence Township, about a mile from Media.