As part of a growing trend, California State University, East Bay and Green Flower are offering certifications in cannabis educational courses.
In partnership with cannabis curriculum provider Green Flower, California State University, East Bay is now offering online, non-credit certificates in cannabis studies programs (1). The programs are each six months long, are open to anyone over the age 18, and no prior education or enrollment in Cal State University, East Bay is required (2). Prior experience in the cannabis industry is also not required (2).
Green Flower is a California-based creator of cannabis education platforms and has two dozen partnerships with educational institutions in the US, as well as local governments and businesses (3). “Northern California has been the literal mecca for forever, and to have a state institution in Northern California deciding to offer cannabis education really tells us how far the industry has come and how much more legitimate this is as a career path,” said Max Simon, CEO and co-founder of Green Flower (1). The platform also recently partnered with Ganjier to create a cannabis sommelier certification (4).
Taught by “top experts in the industry,” the four available certificates are in Cannabis Healthcare & Medicine, Cannabis Agriculture & Horticulture, The Business of Cannabis, and Cannabis Compliance & Risk Management. The university offers payment plans for the $2950 programs (2). Scholarships and federal aid are not currently available, but there is a veteran discount offered (1).
According to a recent job report, during a nation-wide hiring pause in 2022, California lost over 12,000 jobs, and the legal cannabis industry currently supports about 83,000 jobs in the state (1).
The first set of students enrolled in the programs earlier this month, and the next enrollment period for all programs begins January 8th, 2024 (1).
Read more of our news coverage on cannabis education opportunities.
References
Ep 24, Part II: Data Transparency in Cannabis Testing with Yasha Khan
December 12th 2024Evan Friedmann and Yasha Kahn, co-founder of MCR Labs, discuss the discrepancies between current regulations and data on mycotoxins and pesticides in cannabis products. They highlight the need for updated regulations based on new data, emphasizing the importance of accurate testing and labeling. They also discuss the issue of result manipulation, particularly in THC content, and the need for public health officials to address this. Yasha suggests making testing data public to enhance oversight and suggests a national entity to manage this data for better consistency and public safety.
Ep 24, Part I: Data Transparency in Cannabis Testing with Yasha Khan
November 21st 2024Evan Friedmann interviews Yasha Khan, co-founder of MCR Labs, about his journey into the cannabis industry and his efforts to promote transparency and integrity in laboratory practices. Yasha discusses the origins of MCR Labs, which began in Massachusetts to meet the needs of the soon-to-be legal medical cannabis market. He explains the challenges faced, including result manipulation by labs and the impact on public health. Yasha's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) project aimed to gather testing data from 37 states, revealed significant discrepancies in potency and mold results. Despite some states' reluctance to share data, Yasha has made much of this data public, leading to collaborative research and publications on various aspects of cannabis testing.