Cannabis Industry Training at Cleveland School of Marijuana

Cleveland School of Cannabis: A Pioneer in Marijuana Education

The Cleveland School of Cannabis differs from typical colleges as its hallways feature marijuana-themed posters. The school readies students for the cannabis industry via hands-on experience in its grow room, dispensary, and cooking lab.

Director of Education, Nicole Fenix, emphasizes that while fun is had, it is primarily an educational institute. The school is anticipating a surge in Ohio’s cannabis industry if the citizen initiative, Issue 2, is passed.

The initiative proposes to legalize and regulate marijuana cultivation, manufacturing, testing, and sale to adults above 21 years. It also suggests legalizing home growth with certain restrictions and levying a 10% tax at point of sales.

An Ohio State University study estimates potential annual tax revenue from legalizing marijuana to range from $276 million to $403 million.

Concerns and Opposition to Marijuana Legalization

Despite Fenix’s excitement about Issue 2, opposition concerns are disheartening. Protect Ohio Workers and Families predicts additional fatal vehicle crashes and injuries if Issue 2 passes, attributing them to marijuana-related impairment. This claim is questioned by Doug Berman, executive director at Ohio State University’s Drug Enforcement and Policy Center, who argues the issue is nuanced in a Capital Journal article.

About Cleveland School of Cannabis

The school opened in 2017, a year after Ohio legalized medical marijuana. It doesn’t cultivate or sell medical marijuana but uses hemp for educational purposes which is later destroyed. The school offers five certificate programs in areas like cannabis dispensaries, horticulture, processing, industrial hemp, and medical applications. Tuition ranges from $7,500 to $14,000 making it the only state-approved career school for cannabis education east of Colorado.

With a mix of online and in-person classes, the school enrolls 130-150 students per term and has graduated over 900 students with an 82% graduation rate. Courses include cannabis history, dispensary operations, cannabis law and policies, and CBD comprehensive. Graduates often pursue careers as master growers, cannabis gardeners, dispensary managers, and cultivation consultants.

Transition to Cannabis Education

Previously a teacher in alternative high school settings and homeschooling, Fenix started working at CSC in 2017 after witnessing the positive effects of medical marijuana on her son’s ulcerative colitis.

Ohio Medical Marijuana Scene

As of Sept. 21, there are 29 active dispensary licenses, 104 certificates of operation, 23 Level I provisional licenses for cultivators, and 822,760 patient recommendations according to the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program.