UAF Offering First Cannabis Class

The University of Alaska Fairbanks is offering the school’s first class on cannabis. Chemistry 293: The Chemistry of Cannabis, offered through the College of Natural Science and Mathematics, will be available to students who have taken at least one year of college-level chemistry.

Kelly Drew, a chemistry and biochemistry professor who is teaching the course, said she hopes the class can approach the subject from a number of different angles.

“I’m hoping for kind of an interdisciplinary approach,” she said. “Looking into everything from the social impacts and economic possibilities to the excitement over what might be available from the medicinal perspective.”

One of the emphases of the class will be teaching students how to seek out scholarly sources and accurate information about cannabis.

“Because the legal industry is still so new, there’s a lot of misinformation out there,” said Drew.

Fifteen students have signed up for the class so far. UAF classes begin Jan. 14.