SUNY Canton Will Offer Online Cannabis Training Course in Fall 2019

Last fall, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo was up for re-election in New York State. His only real competitor, former Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon, didn’t pose a real threat, but she did throw a few curve balls into the campaign. One was her popular proposal to legalize marijuana. By the end of the election, Cuomo, who has previously not been in support of legalizing marijuana, had changed his mind. In fact, shortly after his re-election, he announced plans to legalize cannabis in New York State and to do so within 100 days. With Cuomo’s green light, a lot of people are looking to get in on the action, including the State University of New York. Last week, SUNY Canton became the first SUNY to announce plans to roll out a cannabis training course to help prepare New York State residents for the arrival of its homegrown cannabis industry.

CannaBusiness Management Will Launch Online in Fall 2019

CannaBusiness Management (BSAD 399) will be offered for the first time in fall 2019 as an online special topics course at SUNY Canton. SUNY Canton frequently offers courses on current and future business trends as part of its entrepreneurial-focused management program, and SUNY Canton’s Dean of the School of Business and Liberal Arts recognized cannabis training as an emerging trend.

In a news release issued on March 4, Dean Phillip T. Neisser said, “The regulatory changes in New York State and surrounding areas present an opportunity for SUNY Canton to be among the first colleges to develop coursework specifically related to the business of cannabis. We will be among a very few accredited colleges to provide learning opportunities on this subject matter.”

BSAD 399 will be taught by Associate Professor Janice C. Robinson. As Professor Robinson observes, “The recent legalization of cannabis and related products in several states has created employment opportunities for individuals who possess the skills to manage business practices within this highly specialized and controversial industry. Medical and recreational marijuana use is becoming more prevalent as it becomes legalized at the state level, in Canada and in other nations worldwide.” By and large, Professor Robinson’s course will focus on the business side of the cannabis industry, which includes a survey of licensing and permit practices, but she also intends to cover some of the controversies surrounding developing marijuana markets.

Cannabis Training Will Be Essential

If New York State wants to legalize marijuana and properly support and regulate related businesses, there will likely be demand for more than a single course at SUNY Canton.

Last fall, eLearning Inside talked to Shannon Kloet at Cannabis Compliance Inc. based in Canada where marijuana was legalized in 2018. Kloet’s organization offers a host of online courses for people hoping to work in the cannabis industry. As she observes, “Workforce training in the cannabis space will be the differentiating factor for success in this emerging industry.  Successfully trained and educated employees will assist greatly in building in efficiencies, reducing costs and ensuring quality. In an industry that is incredibly competitive and is restricted in how it can market and create brand recognition, consistency of quality will be key.”

Fortunately, with cannabis now legal in Canada and in several other U.S. states, on-campus and online courses and programs are already proliferating.  Kwantlen Polytechnique University in Vancouver, Canada launched a cannabis training program in 2017. In Canada, the Academy of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences also offers several relevant courses. On the U.S. side of the border, aspiring cannabis entrepreneurs can pursue their training online at Colorado’s Cannabis Training University. With a growing number of U.S. states moving toward decriminalization of marijuana, the cannabis training sector also seems likely to expand over the coming decade.

Photo by Matteo Paganelli on Unsplash.