The University of New England (UNE) announced on Wednesday that it is launching four new online courses this fall for certificate programs related to the cannabis industry.

The online certificate programs, a collaboration with California-based education platform Green Flower, cover topics in cannabis healthcare and medicine, agriculture and horticulture, business, product development and design, and compliance and risk management.

Each program consists of eight-week online courses and costs $2,950 to enroll.

“The cannabis industry is one of the fastest growing market opportunities here in Maine and across the country,” said Beth Taylor-Nolan, Ed.D., dean of UNE Online.

“As an institution committed to providing accessible, relevant, and affordable professional development and career education opportunities, UNE is excited to partner with Green Flower to train individuals interested in entering this dynamic industry,” Taylor-Nolan said.

Maine was one of the first states to legalize adult recreational use and retail sale of cannabis in November 2016.

Since January 2019, the state’s Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) has overseen the licensing process and regulations governing Maine’s legal marijuana industry.

According to the OCP, there are currently 87 active recreational marijuana grow facilities across Maine, and 157 adult use stores.

Adult use retail marijuana sales in Maine for calendar year 2024 to date amounts to nearly $138 million across more than 2.5 million sales transactions.

Total sales for both recreational and medical marijuana reached nearly $500 million in 2023.

In recent years Maine has also seen a proliferation of illicit marijuana grow operations, consisting of a network of Chinese-owned unlicensed grows with ties to Asian transnational criminal organizations.

There have been more than 40 raids by local, county, state and federal law enforcement on such properties in Maine.