Canadian universities and colleges are stepping in to train workers for the growing marijuana industry, offering classes on everything from cultivating to marketing legal weed.
Debbie Johnston with Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario, says marijuana companies are struggling to find employees with industry-specific knowledge.
The school recently started offering a two-day course that gives professionals like accountants and health-care workers an introduction to all things marijuana, from terminology and the regulatory framework, to history and basics of the plant.
Durham College in Ontario and Kwantlen Polytechnic University in B-C are among those expanding their marijuana education programs, with plans to add classes on cultivation, retail sales, legalization and public policy.
David Purcell with Kwantlen says the Metro Vancouver school has been offering online classes on marijuana for about three years, but interest has skyrocketed in recent months as Canada moves toward legalizing recreational marijuana.
He says marijuana education is key to fighting generations of stigma and legitimizing Canada's marijuana industry.