Worcester, Mass.-based Clark University is launching a first-in-the-nation graduate certificate in regulatory affairs for cannabis control.

The program will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of public policy issues involved in the cultivation, distribution, sales and regulation of adult use and medicinal-use cannabis.

Courses focus on public policy with practical training for implementing the rules of engagement in the cannabis control field. The program comprises three online courses: regulatory models, health and public safety concerns, and stakeholder education and enforcement.

Participants will gain an understanding of the intersection and influences of social, medical, economic and legal viewpoints on cannabis use, monitoring and control, and learn how to create public policies.

The online program can be completed in two semesters starting this fall. Each course is seven weeks long.

“As more states legalize cannabis for either medicinal and or adult use, it is creating challenges for municipal, county and state policy makers who must determine the regulatory implications for their communities and constituents,” stated John LaBrie, Clark University’s School of Professional Studies dean and associate provost for Professional Graduate Education. “Our program will give individuals in communities across the nation access to leaders in the field, and an opportunity to use what our legislators have created as a guide when they adopt policies of their own.”

Clark’s location in Worcester will soon be home to the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission.

“There is much confusion when it comes to differentiating between medical cannabis use, adult use, de-criminalization, and legalization,” Harvard Police Chief Edward D. Denmark stated. “The cannabis certification will greatly aid policy makers and enforcement officials in developing strategies to address new challenges and enable us to provide for the safety of the public.”