The Vermont State Colleges and the University of Vermont both have created certificate programs related to cannabis.
Cannabis is the family of plants that can produce marijuana or hemp, both legalized in Vermont and now the subject of vigorous economic activity.
Though sales of recreational marijuana are not legal in the state, adult possession of small amounts is legal, and lawmakers are poised to debate creating a tax-and-regulate system this session. Regulated sales of marijuana for medical use began in 2013.
As new hemp-growing operations spring up around Vermont, a crop of support services is also growing around them. Among them are law firms, business consultants, and educational programs. A federal ban on hemp cultivation ended last year with the passage of the latest farm bill, paving way for the hemp industry to take off.
Vermont Technical College is creating a CBD and greenhouse cash crop certificate program that will start in the fall. Its two instructors, Christine Motyka and Dave Hartshorn, specialize in the CBD business and in hydroponic growing, respectively.
Each session would include nine days of instruction and cost $1,350, said Molly Willard, project manager of VTC’s Institute for Applied Agriculture and Food Systems. The class can accommodate 20 people; four have already signed up, said Maureen Hebert, associate dean of industry relations for VTC.
UVM’s program, which started in fall 2016, requires five to 10 hours of participation each week for seven weeks and is aimed at students with bachelor’s degrees who have completed college-level foundational science courses in biology and chemistry.
It costs $2,250 for a non-credit certification from the cannabis science and medicine professional program, according to the program’s website. Thirty-five people filled the program to capacity last fall, said Matt Sayre, who works in UVM’s Entrepreneurship Office. The course is offered twice a year, and is usually full, said Sayre. The session this spring runs from April 15 to May 31.
Cannabis is the fastest-growing industry in the country, according to the website of the UVM program, which is offered by UVM’s Department of Pharmacology.
“With such a dramatic rise in interest, there is an even greater demand for clinicians, dispensary managers, and edible creators to understand the indications, counter-indications, benefits, and risks of cannabis and medical marijuana,” it says. The UVM program is designed for physicians, dispensary personnel, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, physician assistants, edible creators, regulators, and “budtenders,” it says.
The VTC program will be focused on starting plants and growing them in the greenhouse and the field, said Willard.
“It’s for, like, maybe entrepreneurs to hone their skills, to understand propagation,” Willard said. “It could be workforce development for people who are working in dispensaries or things like that.”
The UVM program covers cannabis history, business, law and policy, plant biology, biological effects on humans, production and safety, pharmacology, and clinical research.
Widely accepted national standards for certificates in the areas of hemp, marijuana and CBD do not yet exist, but work on such standards is underway.
“It’s an emerging field,” said Hebert. The VTC course is designed for adult learners. “This certificate could be stackable and used for other things. We’re trying to come up with standardization.”
Castleton State College is also considering a year-long cannabis studies certificate program, said Tricia Coates, a spokeswoman for Vermont State Colleges.
Cannabis is the family of plants that includes marijuana and hemp, two similar-looking plants with different properties. It’s a widely misunderstood distinction, said Heather Darby, who will be teaching an online course for UVM on hemp production next fall.
There are many different types of cannabinoid compounds, including CBD, in the cannabis plant; some are psychoactive and some are not. The THC cannabinoid has a psychoactive effect.
Marijuana produces levels of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, high enough to be used for psychoactive purposes. Industrial hemp produces only very low levels of THC.
The leaves, flowers and buds of the marijuana plant are used for their psychoactive effect. The leaves, flowers, buds and sometimes the stems of the hemp plant are used for purposes such as grain, clothing, biofuel, rope, and the production of cannabidiol, or CBD.
CBD oil is believed to relieve pain, lower inflammation and decrease anxiety without causing a high. CBD mixtures available in stores sometimes contain very low levels of THC.
Darby’s one-semester class, aimed at students and adult learners, will require regular UVM tuition and is geared toward students who are enrolled at the school.
The class will cover the history of hemp production, growth and production of the crop for seed, grain, fiber, or extraction of CBD, and then handling and processing, said Darby, an agronomist with the University of Vermont Extension who leads the hemp research program in Alburgh.
“We’re viewing this as a start to launch hemp education for students who are interested,” Darby said. “This is to test the waters, and to really develop a meaningful curriculum.”