22 September 2022 |

How does formal education fit into cannabis? 

By Kaitlin Domangue

More and more colleges are introducing cannabis into their curriculum. And from what I’ve seen so far: most of them are actually doing a pretty great job.

I’ve seen a lot of people who are actually involved with the cannabis industry become part of the faculty who teaches these courses. 

At St. Louis University, one of the nation’s most prominent universities and about 40 minutes from where I live – students can obtain a Cannabis Science and Operations Certificate. 

Now – I am a proud 2x college dropout – so I’m not one to advocate for traditional college degrees. This is especially true for cannabis, where traditional education isn’t moving fast enough to keep up with our industry. 

Things are changing constantly, so being “on the scene” at this stage of the game is arguably more important than obtaining a college degree. I can say that with full confidence as a college dropout on the cannabis scene 😉

But. 

Things are changing. The industry is only going to get more competitive and demand a stronger pool of educated, well-versed individuals who can operate an industry like cannabis. 

Especially when federal legalization occurs and large players who are just waiting in the wings officially come on the scene. 

The Cannabis Community College just revamped its 5 course bundle and according to Christi McAdams, CCC Chairman, the program’s courses were “developed by some of the top names from several of the largest public and privately held, vertically integrated, multistate operators in the country.”

Working with the industry’s key players is the only way to develop strong educational content, and Cannabis Community College isn’t the only one doing it. 

Not to steal CCC’s thunder – BUT – The Green Paper is also developing courses for the cannabis industry, albeit a little different than The Cannabis Community College. 

Many courses like CCC are valuable and give an inside look into what working in the cannabis industry is like. 

But after talking to so many operators in this space, the need for high-level content is apparent. 

Once you break into the cannabis industry – and even see extreme success – then what? It’s not easy, but finding yourself on the fast track to success in cannabis isn’t impossible – what happens without the right background or know-how to navigate scaling up? 

That’s where The Green Paper hopes to partner with high-level experts and provide that insight. All in all, seeing cannabis education come to fruition at any level is exciting!