Cannabis Courses in Argentina: Where to Study Medical Cannabis at University

Where can you study cannabis at a university in Argentina?

Argentina's public universities now offer several cannabis programs: graduate courses at the National University of La Plata and the National University of Quilmes, an elective for medical students at the National University of the South, and medical cannabis diplomas at the National Universities of Rosario and Arturo Jauretche. Both cannabis law and the cannabis industry in Argentina are growing fast. It's not just that personal use for medical, therapeutic or recreational purposes is on everyone's lips: new doors are opening for anyone who wants to train and learn more about the plant, its properties, its benefits and its potential uses.

Academic training focused on cannabis is essential for a strong, credible industry, and learning about its laws, growing methods and uses is key for anyone training in these fields to do it professionally.

The School of Medical Sciences at the National University of La Plata (UNLP) was the first to create a graduate program in Medical Cannabis Prescription and Research. It's mainly aimed at physicians and veterinarians, and covers both legal and academic topics.

One of the program's main goals is to "gain the knowledge needed for the rational prescription of cannabinoid-based preparations for medical use," according to the announcement UNLP published.

The National University of Quilmes (UNQ) launched a Graduate Diploma in Cannabis, Regulation and Drug Policy. UNQ sets out to host a respectful debate on drug policy and discuss the legalization of cannabis, among other banned substances.

The program aims to "question, and put forward a better alternative to, the paradigms that, above all from a legal and political standpoint, have not served contemporary societies well, so that governments can design inclusive, democratizing social policies, especially in public health," UNQ explains.

The seminars cover history, law, medicine, public drug policy, research and, of course, cannabis.

The National University of the South (UNS), meanwhile, was one of the first to offer a Medical Cannabis course for students in its Medicine program. The course is an elective, focused mainly on the medical use of cannabis, and open to students in their third year of the degree.

Professor Alejandro Bucciarelli, from the Pharmacy program in UNS's Department of Biology, Biochemistry and Pharmacy, says the "goal is to make a substantial contribution to undergraduate students in fields where there's very little training, specifically when it comes to medicinal plants. We work for free, but with enthusiasm, because we see there's a real social demand from people who turn to these therapies because they notice an improvement in certain ailments or health conditions."

The National University of Rosario (UNR) has a new Diploma in Medical Cannabis, run together with the Foundation for International Studies (Funpei). To inform and educate people about regulatory changes around cannabis, the two institutions created this "international diploma in endocannabinology, cannabis and cannabinoids for physicians, pharmacists, chemists and other health science professionals," according to the program description. To sign up, go to: funpei.org/cannabis-medicinal.

The National University Arturo Jauretche (UNAJ) offers a Diploma in Cannabis and Its Medical Uses. According to its website, it "was created out of the need to train users, growers, producers, teachers, researchers and the whole community on the latest advances in its different areas: the plant's botanical properties, basic and clinical research, and the therapeutic properties of cannabis." To register, click here.

It's encouraging to see academic institutions starting to expand the options they give students to learn about and train in cannabis. We need more courses, degrees and graduate programs covering these topics and challenges to strengthen an industry that keeps on growing. Better late than never, right?