I just want to say one word to you. Just one word: pot.
Yes, it almost harks back to a classic scene in “The Graduate.” A growing number of schools offering courses in all things weed-related are trying to pull young people with the promise of newly created jobs in the booming medical marijuana field.
The Northeastern Institute of Cannabis, in Natick, Mass., will start offering a 12-course program by September. Those who pay $1,500 for the privilege get a “cannabis industry certification.” To enroll, students must either have a high school diploma or a GED.
Founded by marijuana activist Mickey Martin, the school is geared toward people who want to apply for work at a dispensary in one of the more than two dozen states, including New York, that allow medical marijuana.
“There is a lot of untapped potential,” said Cara Crabb-Burnham, a Northeastern administrator. “There remains a need for workers in testing and extraction facilities to accommodate and satisfy the continuously growing consumer base.”
Whether wannabe weed workers even need a piece of paper proving they are competent in cannabis is up for debate. A certificate from a marijuana institute is not required to land a job in the industry, and is seen differently by prospective employers from state to state.
In Massachusetts, for example, dispensaries must pay $500 to the state for every employee they hire. To maximize the returns on their investments, dispensary owners want employees who are trained in the logistics of the cannabis business and can advise patients on various strains and ingestion methods, Crabb-Burnham said.
In states like Colorado, however, where weed is widely used, dispensaries take a dim view of certificates from marijuana institutes.
“If I see someone who went to Oaksterdam University, it doesn’t really matter,” said a Colorado dispensary owner. “It’s more about finding the right people with the right qualities for a particular job within the industry.”
Dale Sky Jones, executive chancellor and owner of Oaksterdam University — the leading marijuana institute in the country with more than 17,000 alumni — said that changing laws will continue to drive up interest in the university.
“We need more education as the law changes,” Jones said. “When the laws change, we are opening up new opportunities for business.”