Ohio’s budding medical marijuana industry is scheduled to bloom in September this year when it will be joining 28 other states of the United Nations for the comprehensive medical marijuana programs.

The program that was started two years back is up and running now. As with any new thing, this program also had its share of initial hiccups and it still faces some challenges. One thing that the group of educators in the state ensured is that having a trained workforce for the program should not be an issue.

Proper classes are on and people are enrolling for the courses as being a medical cannabis worker will be a legitimate career going forward. Proper schools have been opened for the same, which offer certificate programs in business and medical applications of cannabis and horticulture. There is also an executive program running, which combines these certificate courses together.

The idea is to have a trained workforce ready so that when employers reach out to hire someone they are sure that the person they are hiring knows what he/she is claiming they know. The certificate curriculum starts right from the basic plant biology and then they merge it with the management techniques. The course is designed specifically keeping the marijuana industry in perspective.

As the state’s medical marijuana control board didn’t show any interest in workforce training, the private players dived in. It is expected that by 2025, there will be some 630,000 jobs created in this sector across the nation. Thus, it makes complete sense to train the workforce so that they can compete better.

As the federal government still considers the marijuana industry as illegal, there have been long discussions on the legal implications of licensing the schools that offer courses in it. But, given that medical marijuana is legalized in Ohio and it will be a legitimate career, there is a high probability that such schools will get the license to offer these courses.

Though these schools cannot grow or process cannabis on site, they are collaborating with Ohio growers. They are trying to get them internships with these growers to provide their students with hands-on training.

The laws regarding marijuana are continuously changing. Right now, most of the US states have legalized the use of medicinal marijuana. This calls for a trained workforce and these courses are aimed at providing exactly that.