The marijuana industry is beginning to flex its muscles in the United States, as companies are preparing to receive the first groups of workers specifically trained to occupy cannabis-related positions. Universities and training centers have taken note, and gotten down to work to supply the market with people who are truly prepared.
If you're a marijuana lover and would give anything to make a living from it, you're in luck. The brain drain is no longer what it was: gone are the days when young people traveled to the United States to study at top universities only in traditional fields like Medicine or Engineering. Now you can also pack up and attend a business school specialized in the medical marijuana industry.
The Northeastern Institute of Cannabis gives you the opportunity to obtain academic certification thanks to its new marijuana business school, to be opened this fall.
Located in Massachusetts, it was founded by cannabis activist Mickey Martin, who has experience as a consultant in marijuana companies and has published a manual for its therapeutic administration: “Medical Marijuana 101.”
This school's curriculum will guide students through the many facets of the cannabis industry, including courses on its cultivation, business, and science. According to Martin this is one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States, so the time has come to educate those who are interested in working in this sector. "We want to provide an educational foundation so that even those who wish to head for dispensaries to find work can do so."
Official academic certification, for real employment
The goal is for the diploma awarded by the Institute to enjoy official validity. Thus, one requirement is that all those interested in entering program have a high school diploma. Tuition will be 1,500 dollars.
They have also announced that they will be working with some of the best-known names in the cannabis industry, bringing together "the best and the brightest" within the medical marijuana movement and the field in general, people with decades of experience in the supplying of medications produced with cannabis, the development of companies in the sector, and policies related thereto.
"This is an exciting opportunity for the East Coast, where we’ve seen a lot of progress when it comes to freedom as it relates to cannabis issues," at a key time for the United States at the legal level, when green lights are gradually being given with regards to everything involving marijuana, particularly its therapeutic use.
At present the institution has not yet obtained a license to operate as the first official cannabis business school in the United States, but its founder is confident that the state will issue the permit before classes commence between August and September.
The school on the other coast
This is not the first institution that has decided to devote itself to cannabis-related studies. The University of Oaksterdam, in Oakland (on the other side of the country), has been teaching in this field since 2007 - though its community arose in 1996. In this case Oaksterdam is not only a school, but also a center for activism where medical marijuana dispensaries can be found, along with medical offices, drug paraphernalia shops, and even a cannabis museum. Its role is to bolster and encourage local cannabis commerce.
There both staff and students become ambassadors for the school, and anyone is welcome to the family. They assert that the institution has helped to draft many of the laws on cannabis being taught in their classrooms. "The construction of a knowledge base and awareness are the first steps to make this a widely recognized and regulated industry."
Among its departments? Courses on cannabis dispensaries, business, law, terminology, finance and marketing - and on cooking with cannabis, the history of its prohibition, horticulture, science and society.
The InfoJobs of marijuana
At the end of training at universities and business schools students face that moment when they must make decisions and initiate their job searches. There are many different career opportunities. Indeed, several job search pages have been created to offer positions exclusively in the marijuana sector.
Such is the case at 420careers.com and THCjobs.com where, as with any job search site, users can upload their resumes and filter their searches according to their interests.
The most popular cannabis-related positions positions include dispensary clerk, cultivation expert, cannabis security, packaging, and administrative positions. These jobs are especially abundant in Colorado, California, Washington and Arizona, where the marijuana industry is booming.
Since marijuana was legalized in the states of Washington and Colorado many companies have sprouted up in response to the new scenario. Now they have no visibility problems are not forced to hide from the authorities.
Would you sign up for a marijuana business school? There are still no entrance or participation stats, but analysts are confident that this will be a big business in the future.
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With information from Hightimes.com, Northeasterninstitudeofcannabis.com, 420careers.com, THCjobs.com, Spiegel.de, Oaksterdamuniversity.com, Dinafem,