DePaul University in Chicago, which was founded in 1898 by a Roman Catholic religious group guided by Catholic and Vincentian values, is now catering to students who aspire to sell marijuana for a living.
Its new class, "Community-Centric Dispensary Management," for example, positions "dispensary leadership" as "integral to community development."
"A core thematic thread that runs throughout the course is how ideologies of race, class, and gender, as well as their institutional manifestations, have influenced the socioeconomic, political, legal, and medical statuses of drugs in U.S. society," the course description states.
Meanwhile, DePaul incorporates its Catholic identity and teachings into student life and academics with programs that are voluntary for most students.
"It's interesting DePaul is training students on how to run pot shops," comments The College Fix's Matt Lamb, who earned a bachelor's degree with a minor in Catholic Studies. "I still to this day am not sure how well they even train students on Catholicism, which they should be doing as a nominally Catholic university."
A cannabis dispensary is a licensed retail store that legally sells marijuana and marijuana-derived products to customers, in compliance with state or local law. They typically offer items such as dried cannabis flower, edibles, vape cartridges, concentrates, tinctures, and topicals, and staff are trained to explain product types, potency, and legal limits.
In Illinois, adults 21 and older may legally possess, purchase, and use recreational cannabis, while qualifying patients can access medical marijuana.
Lamb thinks it is unfortunate that a Catholic university is contributing so blatantly to the marijuana business, especially considering that the drug has been condemned by Catholic bishops who recognize the consequences of its legalization.
"It's disappointing but not surprising that DePaul University has classes that undermine the Catholic faith," Lamb tells AFN.
Other courses offered as part of the Cannabis Studies minor include "Cannabis Business" and "Cannabis and Society."
The College Fix reports the pilot courses experienced high student demand when offered in 2020, and the full curriculum and minor came about in 2022.
There are currently 263 licensed dispensaries in Illinois.
