It's high time a B.C. university offered a class on how to grow and sell medical marijuana.
That was the thought process behind a new course being offered at Kwantlen Polytechnic University starting this fall, according to Jim Pelton, the university's executive director of continuing and professional studies.
He said the idea for the course came about after university faculty spoke with licensed medical marijuana producers in B.C. and realized a hunger for a class on the subject.
"It became pretty clear that there was a market for two different groups," he told Metro. "One, people who wanted to come into the industry and didn't know anything about it and, secondly, for people who are already in the industry but had serious gaps in their knowledge."
Anyone who feels their pot-growing abilities are a little green can now hone their skills through the 14-week online course, called Introduction to Professional Management of Marijuana for Medical Purposes in Canada.
According to the course description, the program is divided into two parts, called Plant Production and Facility Management, and Marketing, Sales and Drug Development.
Students will not only grow their knowledge of the differences in plant characteristics and how to distinguish healthy roots from unhealthy ones, but they will also learn about crop cycles, pest management, drying and storage procedures, and Health Canada regulations. The course description says they will also learn about marketing regulations, brand strategies, customer loyalty and the role of health care professionals in the use of medical marijuana.
If the high cost of tuition— $1,249 for each part— wasn't enough of a hint, Pelton said this course isn't for just anyone looking to grow their own personal stash of marijuana in their backyard.
"This is not a gardening course," he said. "The production perspective we take is more akin to what you might find in the manufacturing industry than what you might find doing a bunch of roses."
Two instructors are slated to teach the course, including Deepak Anand, executive director of the Canadian National Medical Marijuana Association, and Tegan Adams, a business development manager at Experchem Laboratories Inc.
Since registration opened two weeks ago, Pelton said interest has lit up with a couple dozen students already signed up.
Anyone concerned about the course running out of space, however, need not fret. If too many students sign up, Pelton said the university would hire more instructors before it weeds out applicants.
