Cannabis courses are popping up all over Ohio now that weed is fully legal. Whether it’s at a garden center in Avondale or at the University of Cincinnati, cannabis-curious individuals are learning new skills that could help them reap big rewards in the weed industry.Getting in on the ground floor of a brand-new industry is an intoxicating prospect for people like Will Mason. Mason is a UC student who’s learning to grow cannabis. This specific kind of cannabis is known as hemp, which doesn’t spark a high.That’s because hemp’s first cousin — marijuana, which is now legal in the Buckeye State — still can’t be grown on land owned by colleges like UC.But Dave Volkman, who’s teaching Mason and his classmates how to cultivate hemp seeds in this patch of dirt in Harrison, says his class can boost the prospects of getting a job in Ohio’s new recreational marijuana marketplace.”Having that experience of growing this plant, hemp, will give them the background they need to talk the talk about growing marijuana,” Volkman said.The program’s website lists more than 60,000 cannabis-connected jobs that are available right now in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.They include agricultural technicians, earning a median salary of $40,000, operations managers making nearly $90,000 and retail salespeople — often called “budtenders” — taking home about $30,000.”I like applying chemistry to different topics of my research, whether it be drug delivery or electrochemistry, so cannabis is just one of those things that I’m interested in,” UC chemistry major Sylmira Andrew said.Students who are full-time, like Mason and Andrew, can add Volkman’s graded, 15-hour course to their schedule and get a Cannabis Studies certificate as part of their elective course load. It generally takes at least two semesters to complete. For anyone else, the tab skyrockets to more than $8,000 because they are paying per credit hour. UC is not alone when it comes to launching programs that could lead to careers rooted in weed.Kent State offers a six-month online Cannabis 101 course that carries an almost $3,000 price tag. For just $15, the Civic Garden Center in Avondale has been hosting sold-out, hour-and-a-half classes called Hometown Cannabis.People can also spend eight hours and $89 getting medical cannabis certificates at Ohio University, the University of Akron and through the Oak Hills Community Education program.”We’re still hiring” is a common refrain at new dispensaries and companies that have been operating in Ohio for years, like Cresco Labs in Yellow Springs.”We have people that make edibles, people that do packaging, people that, you know, operate machinery,” Cresco Labs’ Jason Erkes said. “So, really, every skill set can lend itself to a cannabis operation.”Back at UC, students know having a certificate in cannabis studies could help them stand out during a job interview.”They help no matter what age range you are, old, young, I’ve had classes with people who are 40, I’ve had classes with people who are just turning 20,” Mason said.It’s not clear what weight a marijuana business owner might give to someone who has a certificate in cannabis studies. However, hiring managers are looking for people who can show up to work on day one with, at a minimum, the basic knowledge needed to get the job done.
Cannabis courses are popping up all over Ohio now that weed is fully legal.
Whether it’s at a garden center in Avondale or at the University of Cincinnati, cannabis-curious individuals are learning new skills that could help them reap big rewards in the weed industry.
Getting in on the ground floor of a brand-new industry is an intoxicating prospect for people like Will Mason.
Mason is a UC student who’s learning to grow cannabis.
This specific kind of cannabis is known as hemp, which doesn’t spark a high.
That’s because hemp’s first cousin — marijuana, which is now legal in the Buckeye State — still can’t be grown on land owned by colleges like UC.
But Dave Volkman, who’s teaching Mason and his classmates how to cultivate hemp seeds in this patch of dirt in Harrison, says his class can boost the prospects of getting a job in Ohio’s new recreational marijuana marketplace.
“Having that experience of growing this plant, hemp, will give them the background they need to talk the talk about growing marijuana,” Volkman said.
The program’s website lists more than 60,000 cannabis-connected jobs that are available right now in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
They include agricultural technicians, earning a median salary of $40,000, operations managers making nearly $90,000 and retail salespeople — often called “budtenders” — taking home about $30,000.
“I like applying chemistry to different topics of my research, whether it be drug delivery or electrochemistry, so cannabis is just one of those things that I’m interested in,” UC chemistry major Sylmira Andrew said.
Students who are full-time, like Mason and Andrew, can add Volkman’s graded, 15-hour course to their schedule and get a Cannabis Studies certificate as part of their elective course load. It generally takes at least two semesters to complete. For anyone else, the tab skyrockets to more than $8,000 because they are paying per credit hour.
UC is not alone when it comes to launching programs that could lead to careers rooted in weed.
Kent State offers a six-month online Cannabis 101 course that carries an almost $3,000 price tag. For just $15, the Civic Garden Center in Avondale has been hosting sold-out, hour-and-a-half classes called Hometown Cannabis.
People can also spend eight hours and $89 getting medical cannabis certificates at Ohio University, the University of Akron and through the Oak Hills Community Education program.
“We’re still hiring” is a common refrain at new dispensaries and companies that have been operating in Ohio for years, like Cresco Labs in Yellow Springs.
“We have people that make edibles, people that do packaging, people that, you know, operate machinery,” Cresco Labs’ Jason Erkes said. “So, really, every skill set can lend itself to a cannabis operation.”
Back at UC, students know having a certificate in cannabis studies could help them stand out during a job interview.
“They help no matter what age range you are, old, young, I’ve had classes with people who are 40, I’ve had classes with people who are just turning 20,” Mason said.
It’s not clear what weight a marijuana business owner might give to someone who has a certificate in cannabis studies. However, hiring managers are looking for people who can show up to work on day one with, at a minimum, the basic knowledge needed to get the job done.
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