Pick an industry, any industry, and you’ll find that there are methods by which they attempt to add credibility to participating players in the space. The cannabis industry is no different – and many states have established “Responsible Vendor” certification or designation for those businesses working in their states’ cannabis industry. Massachusetts, Colorado, Illinois, and others have these programs.
In Illinois, all medical cannabis dispensing agents working in Illinois had to receive training from an approved Responsible Vendor by November 30, 2019 to ensure they have been trained before adult-use sales began on January 1, 2020. Any newly hired dispensary agents are also required to receive training from an approved vendor within 90 days of their hiring date. In addition, all budtenders must receive the training annually to renew their license to work at a cannabis dispensary.
Cannabis Care Team has their well-known retail staff training available virtually now, allowing cannabis industry employees in all states the opportunity to take our training at their own pace and can rest assured that the training they receive is from a Responsible Vendor. Through our partnership with Seed Talent, a Responsible Vendor in Illinois, we can now bring our training to the existing and new retail teams that will soon be setting up operations with the addition of new licenses in the state.
Much like certifications like GMP for Manufacturing, or ISO, this is a step in furthering the stigmatization of cannabis from a different perspective – one that although it might seem insignificant, illustrates the progress we’re making as a movement toward legalization. Cannabis Care Team couldn’t be more proud to have yet another additional state where we can offer our education and evidence-based training facilitated by clinicians to the front lines, virtual – enabling all of our students to be confident in the education they receive from our team.