Medical Cannabis: UMB ‘Uniquely Set Up’ for Collaboration in New Social Work Dual-Degree Program

Read about the groundbreaking new program that is believed to be the first of its kind in the world in the latest issue of “CATALYST.”

By Emily Bleiweis, as published in the Elm
February 17, 2025

In a groundbreaking new program that is believed the be the first of its kind in the world, University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) has designed an interprofessional dual-degree program that will provide future social workers with knowledge about medical cannabis that is necessary to help them better care for their clients.

The program, which was built in partnership between the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP) and the University of Maryland School of Social Work (UMSSW), allows for social work students to earn a Graduate Certificate in Medical Cannabis Science, Therapeutics, and Policy from UMSOP.

The two-semester, 12-credit certificate program can be completed by students while in their Master of Social Work (MSW) program by using two electives for certificate coursework and taking two of their MSW course requirements during the summer.

“It’s uncharted territory right now with cannabis being legalized in so many places for recreational and medical use,” said Joan Pittman, PhD, MSW, LCSW-C, clinical professor and director of the MSW Program at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Md. “There are many questions including how cannabis can impact someone’s mental health positively or negatively. And social workers want to be prepared.”

More Education, Less Stigma

It was social work students who were the leading force behind this new program, said Andrew Coop, PhD, professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and associate dean for graduate programs at UMSOP.  Students reached out to UMSOP’s Graduate Studies in Medical Cannabis Program, which includes an MS degree and the graduate certificate, because the number of social workers who interact with members of the public who are using medical cannabis or have questions about it is increasing. They wanted to be better informed, Coop said.

“Many of the individuals they’re going to interact with either take cannabis or know a family member or a loved one that actually takes medical cannabis,” Coop said. “So being knowledgeable and being able to speak about cannabis from a point of view of expertise allows them to serve the public and speak to the public.”

There is still much stigma around cannabis, even medical cannabis, Coop added. If a client knows that the social worker they’re speaking with has expertise, it helps to remove that stigma. It allows for an open dialogue, he added.

A strength of this new dual-degree program, Pittman said, is that UMSOP’s Graduate Studies in Medical Cannabis Program includes students from many different disciplines, so students learn about the field from different professional lenses.

Additionally, students are learning micro and macro elements of cannabis science, including information about policies and the legal landscape in Maryland and the nation.

Read more about the dual-degree program in the Catalyst. 

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