Marijuana University: A Higher Education?

The cannabis industry is growing rapidly inspiring entrepreneurs from all over the globe to flock to 420-friendly states. But having a passion for pot and a desire to work with weed is not necessarily a sufficient way to make a living in cannabis. To really stand out from the crowd, entrepreneurs need to be well-educated, too.

With marijuana reform going strong, many schools and certification programs are popping up to help fill the gap between the desire to succeed in the industry and the knowledge to make it happen. For those who want a leg-up on the competition, marijuana classes and certification programs can help make marijuana employment much easier.

As many as nine fully-accredited universities are now offering cannabis training courses. Schools like the University of Colorado, Oregon State University, Santa Carla University and Ohio State University offer cannabis courses that cover issues like cannabis business financing, marijuana economics, consumer demographics and job creation.

Though these universities generally offer no cannabis-specific certification, Denver’s Clover Leaf University certainly does. As the first and only cannabis school to receive full accreditation, Clover Leaf University is breaking new ground. They offer four different certification programs in addition to 16 stand-alone cannabis courses. Students can be certified in cannabis cultivation, cannabis business management, marijuana laws or general cannabis information.

There’s is no need to go to a fully-accredited school just to work with marijuana. Though a degree is attractive to business owners, area-specific certification and general coursework in the field are also valuable.

There is an abundance of cannabis training schools available for a fraction of the cost of university that offer valuable information and certification programs to their students Trichome Institute, for example, offers budtending courses, interpening certification and responsible vendor training. Trichome Institute is located in Denver, but there are many other programs around the nation, as well. Here are just a few:

• Cannabis Training Institute

  Cannabis Training Institute is an online school that offers a number of programs including Patent Focused Certification, Dispensary Technician Certification and Core Cannabis Training and Certification.

• THC University

  THC University offers online certification courses including budtending, cannabis cultivation, safety, regulations and compliance, business and horticulture.

• Oaksterdam University

  Located in Oakland, CA, Oaksterdam University offers coursework in cannabis history, business, horticulture, culinary arts, science and law.

• Cannabis Career Institute

  Cannabis Career Institute offers a number of seminars throughout the nation aimed at helping entrepreneurs fulfil their dreams of owning or operating a cannabis business. Seminars run from 9:00 am until 7:00 pm and include cooking, growing and business management as well as a complimentary consultation service.

• Cannabis Therapy Institute

  Cannabis Therapy Institute offers online certifications aimed specifically at the medical community. Certification programs include cannabis therapy, basic cannabis patient care, medical marijuana production, cannabis cultivation, cannabis biology and Colorado marijuana laws.

The cannabis industry is the fastest growing industry in America. For those eager to get on board, cannabis training schools can make employment in the industry much easier to come by.

Would you take a cannabis training course? What would you study?

Photo Credit: PourquoiPas