Marijuana School Opens

If you doubt marijuana is becoming big business, you might want to check out a school that just opened shop in Nevada. The Cannabis Career Institute offers certifications in Budtending, Edibles, Dispensary Management and Master Grower. For $250 and a day’s training, you too can jump into the green revolution and start a career in the cannabis sales industry.

If that seems odd, it is. But when a successful dispensary can pull down an average of $10,000 a day, the economics are right and, according to to The Journal, more than 15,000 people have already received certifications.

Ironically, Nevada doesn’t have a venue for the graduates to legally practice. Even 13 years after passing their medical marijuana bill, there’s still no legal way for patients to obtain cannabis.

What’s missing from the course offerings is information that most states deliver to those selling alcohol: how to recognize problem users, check for fraudulent purchases, and how to verify ID. On top of these basics which every bartender has to know, “budtenders” might do well to receive a bit of education on abuse of cannabis. It would be a great public service if graduates could spot marijuana dependence and offer resources addicts could access. After all, it’s estimated that up to a quarter of regular users become dependent on marijuana.

The Institute doesn’t have a campus. Rather than training only local ganja-preneurs, the program travels around the country to states where medical marijuana is legal to offer their one-day seminars and certifications. And just like other industry specific training programs, jobs are offered through a partnership with cannajobs.com.

For those of us who grew up in an environment where marijuana was strictly illegal, this comes as another in a series of paradigm shifts. It feels very odd to find something that was once only the concern of drug dealers is now considered a legitimate topic for schooling.