HRT-235 Cannabis: Biology to Industrial App.
This course will survey the history of cannabis (Cannabis sativa) as well as its biology, breeding, chemistry, pharmacology, and downstream uses from biofuel and pulp feedstocks to medicinal application. Upon completion of the course, students will have developed in-depth knowledge of cannabis and, to either a scientist or layperson, be able to articulate present perspectives on its production and utility in human society and agriculture.
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Course Outline
Department
Environmental Conservation and Horticulture
Course Description
This course will survey the history of cannabis (Cannabis sativa) as well as its biology, breeding, chemistry, pharmacology, and downstream uses from biofuel and pulp feedstocks to medicinal application. Upon completion of the course, students will have developed in-depth knowledge of cannabis and, to either a scientist or layperson, be able to articulate present perspectives on its production and utility in human society and agriculture.
Credit Hours
3Semester(s) Course Will Be Offered
Spring
Course Learning Outcomes
- Explain the history and cultivation of different forms of cannabis spanning 10,000 years across western and eastern cultures.
- Examine the complex phyto-biochemical pathways involved in cannabinoid synthesis and the interactions of these compounds with animal physiology (e.g. neuromodulation).
- Integrate broad themes across plant physiology and chemistry as well as animal cell biology and neurology.
- Assess and critique contemporary research into the benefits and/or penalties of the chemical constituents of cannabis, including non-cannabinoid compounds such as essential oils and hemp oil.
- Describe the physiological properties and cultivation practices of hemp.
Topic Outline
- 1. Introduction to cannabis (Cannabis sativa)
- a. Ethnobotany and history of cultivation: ancient times to present
- b. Anatomy
- c. Evolutionary and phylogenetic relationships and biogeography
- d. Plant breeding
- e. Basic chemistry
- 2. Cannabinoids
- a. Definition
- b. Biosynthetic pathways
- i. Acidic cannabinoids
- ii. Short-chain cannabinoids
- c. Classification system
- d. Methods of analysis
- 3. Cannabinoids and animal biology
- a. The central nervous system
- b. Cannabinoid receptor systems
- c. Cell metabolism
- d. Pharmacology
- e. Toxicology
- 4. Non-cannabinoid constituents of cannabis
- a. Chemistry
- b. Uses and marketplaces
- 5. Medicinal cannabis: cannabinoid and non-cannabinoid products
- a. Therapeutic potential
- b. Current state of knowledge
- c. Frontiers in medicine: future developments
- 6. Cannabis (hemp) for fuel and fiber
- a. Chemical and physiological differences between marijuana and hemp
- b. Hemp in agricultural systems, including low-input sustainable agriculture, plant quality requirements for end-use markets, and feedstock crops
- c. Life cycle analyses of hemp production systems
- 7. Introduction to pests and diseases
- a. Fungal pathogens
- b. Arthropods
- c. Environmental considerations
- d. Integrated pest management