RVCC will offer medical cannabis dispensary training program this spring

Raritan Valley Community College will offer a Medical Cannabis Dispensary Technician training class Monday evenings this spring.

The 15-hour course will run from March 9 to April 6, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The course, led by Sarah Trent, attorney and chief executive officer of alternative treatment center applicant Valley Wellness, will teach basic information about working in a dispensary and educate students on the industry itself. The RVCC curriculum was developed after Trent approached the college looking for strategies for the training and recruitment of employees, although she said all are welcome to take the course.

“Knowledge of the legalities, the state’s guidelines, and the medical implications of medical cannabis are key to working in a medical dispensary,” said Trent in a statement. “Anyone can take the course. It is not just for those looking for a job in the industry. You can enroll simply because you’re interested in medical cannabis and want to learn more from reputable sources.”

Field experts will teach students about the legal status of medical cannabis; the human body’s endocannabinoid system and cannabis as medicine; the basics of cultivation, harvesting and processing and the different products available in New Jersey and elsewhere; and the ins and outs of working in a medical cannabis dispensary in New Jersey including rules and regulations of product handling and patient interaction.

Lecturers include Florio Perrucci Steinhardt and Cappelli LLC Partner Seth Tipton; Rutgers horticulture professor Thomas Gianfagna; Compassionate Care Foundation Director of Expansion Tim Weigand; and Brian Staffa, chief operating officer of Las Vegas medical cannabis cultivator Aether Gardens.

The course, which will be held in the RVCC Workforce Training Center at RVCC’s Branchburg campus, is a non-credit course and has a fee of $400. Students must be at least 18 to register. Veterans are eligible for tuition waivers.