Since recreational marijuana was legalized in Michigan in 2018, not only has it become a multibillion-dollar industry for the state, but in March we surpassed California to become the largest cannabis market in the U.S. by sales volume.
Cannabis is obviously not going anywhere but up. In fact, this past April, Michigan鈥檚 Baker College launched its online cannabis certificate program.
鈥淲e strive to promote lifelong learning in industries that are future-focused,鈥 says Kelley Suggs, a Baker College spokesperson. 鈥淲e want to make sure our students have the skills in these industries that are thriving and very lucrative.鈥
The three certifications available are for cannabis cultivation specialist, cannabis retail specialist, and cannabis extraction and product development specialist. Each certificate takes nine weeks to complete and was formulated in partnership with Green Flower, a cannabis training platform based in Ventura, California.
To get its students鈥 feet in the door, the college also partnered with local cannabis dispensary to provide internships and training to students who have completed one of the certificates. They plan to present their partnership at this year鈥檚 Soaring Eagle Arts, Beats, and Eats four-day festival in Royal Oak. Last year, after inviting House of Dank to create a marijuana marketplace and consumption lounge on-site, the festival became the first in the state and one of the first in the country to offer this type of exhibit.
鈥淭hey [House of Dank] put more than 10,000 people through all their activities,鈥 says Jon Witz, Arts, Beats, and Eats鈥 event producer. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e the exclusive partner of the festival. 鈥 I couldn鈥檛 think of another cannabis company to work with 鈥 they probably invested several hundred thousand dollars into their promotional spaces.鈥
Like last year, House of Dank will have an area called Dankway, where people can purchase and consume cannabis and where paid interns from Baker College will gain experience with handling product and sales, and one called Dankland, where live entertainment, music, and exclusive merchandise are available and interns will gain exposure to marketing and hospitality.
鈥淭he Baker side brings in education opportunities, job opportunities, and the House of Dank is putting those job opportunities into play,鈥 Witz says. 鈥淎nd the festival was a catalyst, not only for the introduction of the two parties, but also as the kickoff point to put interns in the field.鈥
Arts, Beats, and Eats will take place from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 in downtown Royal Oak. To learn more about the event, visit .
To learn more about Baker College鈥檚 certificate program, go to .
This story originally appeared in the August 2024 issue of 糖心vlog安卓版. To read more, pick up a copy of 糖心vlog安卓版 Detroit at a local retail outlet. Our will be available on Aug. 6.
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