With marijuana laws slowly starting to change around the U.S., the DFW Academy of Cannabis Science is now enrolling students in its courses based around the study of the plant.

The academy is an academic franchise and its parent company, Pharmacology University, has 12 years of experience in the industry.

“[Pharmacology University] is an advocate for marijuana legislation and legalization,” co-owner Holly Law said. “In their endeavors over a decade, they realized there was a need for formalized classes. That’s where we come in.”

Though they lack a physical location to hold classes, the academy will offer courses in cultivation, oil extraction and manufacturing and a comprehensive course relating to the medicinal uses of marijuana. The first round of classes begin Aug. 4 and will be held every Saturday for either a 10-week or 5-week course.

“All I could see was the benefits of educating people on medical cannabis, especially since so many states are legalizing [it] now,” outreach specialist Mallory Gill said. “You can take this information with you anywhere, and you can work in a marijuana-related field.”

Gill explained that there is a high demand for knowledgeable workers in states where medicinal marijuana has already been legalized.

“It’s sort of crazy that people aren’t doing this more,” Gill said. “We do have some competition in terms of cannabis education schools. Most of them are online, but we’re the first brick and mortar in the DFW metroplex.”

Gill also believes that people should look at the opportunities from a business standpoint.

“It’s really just about getting ahead of the curb,” Gill said. “Just from a business standpoint, [it’s best to] learn now. By the time it’s legalized in Dallas, [you could] be one of the first people to open a dispensary, or one of the people that can educate others or start your own venture. [The academy is] just giving people the tools they need to exceed in this industry.”

Bridget Black, also a co-owner of the DFW location, believes that people must look past the negative image marijuana has sometimes been portrayed to have.

“I think it’s important we change the stereotype,” Black said. “We are presenting cannabis from a scientific perspective. We’re not sitting around teaching people how to rip a better bong hit. This is very professionally presented.”

Law feels that the portrayal of marijuana over the years has been wrong.

“There’s so much mystery and stigma with this plant,” Law said. “We have been mislead ever since the ’50s and ’60s when the government decided that they wanted to prohibit hemp and marijuana. They have it classified as a Schedule I drug.”

Schedule I drugs are classified as having a high abuse risk and no safe and accepted medicinal use in the United States. Other drugs included in this category include heroin, LSD and cocaine.

“For [marijuana] to be categorized as that is completely inaccurate and false,” Law said. “So, by educating people about the truth, we’re hoping to take away the stigma and mystery of it.”

For more information about classes, visit the DFW Academy of Cannabis Science’s website.

Featured Image: DFW Academy of Cannabis Science plans on exploring the plant through Pharmacology University. The university will start to enroll students in the fall. Dimmagio Escobedo