Raritan Valley Community College will be the first college or university in New Jersey to offer a non-credit new medical cannabis program this spring.
"RVCC is offering a non-accredited, multi-day program run by professionals and academia. This is truly the first-of-its-kind at a New Jersey community college," said Joananne Coffaro, director of the Workforce Training Center.
The Medical Cannabis Dispensary Technician 15-hour training course is designed to teach the basic information about working in a medical cannabis dispensary, as well as educate others who are interested in learning more about the industry.
The program was developed after Valley Wellness — who recently applied for a dispensary permit from the New Jersey Department of Health — approached RVCC looking for strategies for training and recruitment.
The course includes such topics as the legal status of medical cannabis; the human body's endocannabinoid system and the efficacy of using cannabis as medicine; the basics of cultivation, harvesting and processing and the different products available in New Jersey and elsewhere; and the ins and outs of working in a NJ medical cannabis dispensary, including the rules and regulations of product handling and patient interaction. Topics will be addressed by various experts in the field.