With its innovative Bachelor of Science in Hemp and Cannabis Business Management, which is the only undergraduate program of its type in New Jersey, Stockton University in Galloway, is leading the way in cannabis education. While faculty members share their professional and personal insights to inspire the future generation of cannabis leaders, the program prepares students with the fundamental skills needed for a thriving sector in the rapidly expanding cannabis market.

Stockton became the first university to have a cannabis undergraduate degree, the Bachelor of Science in Hemp and Cannabis Business Management, during the Fall 2024 semester. This degree allows students to dive into the business aspect of growing and selling cannabis legally in New Jersey. Though cannabis was 100% federally illegal, the market continued to climb drastically.

Professor Robert Mejia, when interviewed, spoke highly of the cannabis courses at Stockton University. Mejia said that his first introduction to cannabis was when his sister was diagnosed with uterine cancer. He said that among the many medications his sister was prescribed, medical cannabis was not one of them. Mejia had multiple publications, such as “The Essential Cannabis Book” and “The Essential Cannabis Journal.” He shared that when his son was looking to attend the university, he came with and met Professor Thomas Olah, spending two hours speaking about Olah’s course, Medical Cannabis.

Professor Mejia stated that teaching Cannabis courses at Stockton had been a good challenge, especially when trying to figure out exactly what kind of curriculum the students needed that addressed industry needs. There was also a challenge to teaching these courses to make sure that there was enough accurate and new information while also appealing to the students’ interests. Professor Steven Schain, who taught Cannabis Law at Stockton University, was a practicing lawyer of nine years with Smart Counsel, LLC, a female-owned company, and dealt primarily with the law pertaining to Cannabis, Hemp, and Psychedelics. The course was passed down to Schain by his partner at the law firm Bridget, who had pioneered the course at Stockton.

When Schain was asked about how he felt about Stockton becoming the first university in New Jersey to have an undergraduate degree in the Business of Hemp and Cannabis, he said he felt “Terrific, and where else could this occur? Stockton was a beacon of innovation and far-reaching in the educational and professional opportunities it provided to its students.”

Professor Valentia Fiero, a Stockton Alumna, taught Cannabis Cultivation at the University. Her course took students through the process of cultivating, growing, and farming hemp and cannabis, utilizing the Hemp Farm on Stockton University’s Galloway campus to give students lots of hands-on experience. Outside of teaching at Stockton, Fiero supervised a “large-scale, indoor, hydroponic garden growing medical cannabis and lots of biomass for extraction and fresh-frozen weed.” Fiero had worked as a cultivator, grower, and farmer for five years. She thoroughly enjoyed teaching at Stockton University.

Professor Thomas Olah, who teaches Medical Cannabis at Stockton, used to work at Compassionate Care, now The Botanist. In his course, he teaches about the history or medical cannabis, law on medical cannabis, and how it has helped patients in the past. Olah is very informed on the ways of the cannabis and gambling industries.

Mejia, Schain, Fiero, and Olah all gave advice for incoming and current students in the Cannabis studies major/minor: “One thing to keep in mind is that the industry was still developing and changing quickly, so if you were thinking about going into this industry, knew that you had to have a good baseline of cannabis and/or hemp knowledge and then also be prepared for things to change,” said Mejia.

“Obtaining and holding a Cannabis industry job hinged on: (1) who you knew; and (2) what you knew. The first step was constant networking, preferably in person. Researching and attending every Cannabis related event, talking to everybody, and meaningfully following up with all connections (ex., connecting on LinkedIn). Secondly, becoming a jack-of-all-trades servicing Cannabis-related businesses. If interested in being a grower, also learn how to be a budtender. Cannabis moved fast, and reading up on all developments made you an attractive employment prospect,” said Schain.

“Keep doing and studying the things that interest you and trying to keep going to events and networking. Stockton was a wonderful place to do that. Everyone who worked in cannabis was enthusiastic about it, so doing what you loved and had passion for it made you really far in this industry,” said Fiero. As for Olah, his advice for students who want to join the Cannabis Industry is to learn all you can about the industry before joining any part; the industry is looking for well educated employees for the future so business can thrive.

I spoke with a few of the students enrolled in the Cannabis Studies major and minor. McKenzie Perotti, a Hemp and Cannabis Studies major, said that she was extremely drawn to the program after taking Fiero’s class. After finding out about the program, Perotti switched majors immediately, stating “I have not regretted it since. Then, I felt more engaged with school and excited about my future.”

Perotti was interning with the NJ CannaBusiness Association, thanks to Professor Mejia, who had helped guide her. Perotti wanted to combine her learned skills of her Hemp and Cannabis major with her marketing ideas to help cannabis businesses shape their public image in a responsible and informative way. Perotti’s advice for incoming Cannabis Studies students was “to get involved and network as much as possible. Reach out to your professors, they were incredible resources who could open doors you never imagined.” Perotti was a junior expected to graduate in the spring of 2026.

Rubi Ortiz, a Cannabis Studies minor, wanted to learn more about the plant due to her mental health issues and her mother’s physical health issues. After trial and error with many medications, cannabis was the first medication they had tried that gave relief to their symptoms without the occurrence of new problems. Ortiz hopes to open her own cannabis business in the future and help advocate for our rights to continue the use of this plant.

John Gargiulo, another Hemp and Cannabis major student, in my personal experience with the Cannabis Studies professors, they were all super enthusiastic about their line of work and educating the next generation of the Cannabis Industry. Stockton University was a great place for Hemp and Cannabis students to learn and grow with their industry as the laws changed around us. Everything was ever changing in this industry because our country was still grappling with the idea.

In my personal experience with the Cannabis Studies professors, they were all super enthusiastic about their line of work and educating the next generation of the Cannabis industry. Stockton University was a great place for Hemp and Cannabis students to learn and grow with their industry as the laws changed around us. Everything was ever changing in this industry because our country was still grappling with the idea of legalizing cannabis, as there were so many opposing views on the topic. Specifically, the industry in New Jersey continued to grow, and with education becoming more open to educating students on cannabis, this will cause the industry to flourish in the future.

To learn more about the Cannabis Studies program at Stockton, click here.

This story by Jecce Harriott was originally obtained and written, with some sections published, for HeadyNJ magazine.