Medical marijuana school settles into Natick hub
A school designed to train and certify professionals in the nascent medical marijuana industry is opening in Natick, and will serve dispensaries throughout the Northeast.
According to School Administrator Cara Crabb-Burnham, the Northeastern Institute of Cannabis will begin offering courses later this summer. Students will choose from a dozen course offerings and receive a certificate of completion at the end of a full semester. The goal is to educate people who will take jobs at medical marijuana dispensaries in Massachusetts, but also those who are pursuing jobs at medical marijuana businesses in other states and countries. According to Crabb-Burnham, the Northeastern Institute has been fielding inquiries from people all over the globe since it announced it would open.
Administrator: Dispensing pot without education a 'bad idea'
Education is crucial in the industry, according to Crabb-Burnham, who is president of MassCann, a coalition working to reform the state’s marijuana laws.
“It’s a really bad idea to have a person who is dispensing medicine to patients – if they’re not very knowledgeable about the plant,” Crabb-Burnham said.
While marijuana doesn’t cause life-threatening side effects, it can make patients physically or mentally uncomfortable if the wrong dosage is prescribed, according to Crabb-Burnham. Those working at dispensaries are gatekeepers, she said, with a responsibility to protect those susceptible to such side effects, particularly the elderly and people suffering from anxiety or depression.
“You want to protect people; these are medical patients,” Crabb-Burnham said.
The institute was founded by California-based marijuana activist and author Mickey Martin, who selected Natick as the school’s headquarters because it’s the population center of the Northeast, Crabb-Burnham said. With medical marijuana laws now pervasive in the region, Crabb-Burnham said the growth potential here is “very, very strong.”
The institute occupies about 7,500 square feet at 10 Tech Circle in Natick, employs a handful of full- and part-time staffers and is still hiring teachers. Classes will begin in August or September, and are open to people age 18 and older who hold high school or general education diplomas (GED).
Crabb-Burnham said the school will be more like a trade school than a college but will follow a semester schedule, much like a college.
So far, the state Department of Public Health (DPH) has not issued regulations requiring marijuana dispensary job candidates to complete the kinds of courses offered by the Northeastern Cannabis Institute. The school opened on the premise that people and dispensaries will invest in medical marijuana education as a way to differentiate themselves. So far, the DPH has granted provisional certificates to 11 dispensaries, allowing them to set up operations in the Bay State.
Crabb-Burnham pointed out that the DPH will require dispensaries to pay a $500 registration fee annually for every employee, so hiring credentialed workers seems advantageous.
Scientist reports changing perspectives
The fact that the Northeastern Institute is located inside a business park, with easy access to Route 9 and the Massachusetts Turnpike, may be symbolic of the transformation of the medical marijuana industry.
Christopher Hudalla, chief scientific officer at Milford-based ProVerde Laboratories, a medical marijuana testing company, said public perception of marijuana as medicine is quickly changing. Older generations are beginning to realize its medical benefits, and the industry is beginning to blend in with others.
Hudalla also mused that attending a medical marijuana conference today, as he often does, feels no different than attending an industry conference for bankers or lawyers. People come dressed in suits and ties, and the industry has attracted mainstream investors as legalization of medical marijuana has expanded.
And while Hudalla was not familiar with the Northeastern Institute, he said organizations offering coursework for the industry are cropping up throughout the country.
“Having institutes like this one in Natick will be huge in terms of making (the industry) more professional,” Hudalla said.
Image source: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments