The NJ Business Action Center (NJBAC) reported over 1,000 students have registered for the Cannabis Training Academy (CTA) since its launch last October 2024.
The free educational program supports cannabis entrepreneurs interested in the NJ cannabis industry and applying for a license or joining the workforce.
It is designated and supported by the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ-CRC),
“The Cannabis Training Academy offers invaluable resources that help small business owners go through the process of legal cannabis business management,” said Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way. “The insights provided will help entrepreneurs avoid common pitfalls and get their business on the right track from the start. With the right knowledge and tools, we are fostering a more inclusive and sustainable cannabis industry in New Jersey.”
“The number of CTA registrations, in just a few short months after launch. Underscores the real-world demand for commercial cannabis education. One that is supported by the state’s regulatory arm, the NJ-CRC,” noted Melanie Willoughby, executive director of the NJBAC.
It is primarily geared towards those who want to be businesspeople and license holders versus working your way up the professional cannabis ladder. Many higher education cannabis programs explore those more.
Most of the lessons are about how to apply for a license. Some of the sections, like required plans and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) late in the program, would probably be good to learn for those who want to be a dispensary General Manager or Chief Budtender, or a cultivation Head Grower, or a manufacturing operation chief.
Official NJ Professional Cannabis Education Program
The CTA provides an online cannabis educational program that aids and educates current and aspiring cannabis business owners. It should help them navigate the process of establishing a licensed and regulatory-compliant cannabis business in New Jersey.
Students in the comprehensive, receive information covering the licensing application process, municipal approval, zoning issues, raising capital, post-licensing issues, and general operations.
Support for conditional conversion to the annual license needed to open will also be available.
It might be needed badly since the vast majority of the conditional licenses awarded to cannabis companies by the NJ-CRC are nowhere near opening.
The online program offers flexibility that can be completed at the attendee’s pace. In addition to pre-recorded webinars, participants can register to access live, virtual question-and-answer sessions with instructors. Soon, attendees will be able to participate in in-person workshops.
NJ Cannabis Training Academy Program Details
The first three modules or lesson sections of the CTA program are accessible to anyone who is over 21 and a New Jersey resident interested in cannabis business development.
One video they have on YouTube features a video on how to create a successful legal cannabis brand without winning a license.
The CTA is specifically designed to help those who qualify as members of target Impact Zones. It is defined in the CREAMM Act and subsequent NJ-CRC rules. It is a place especially hit by the War on Drugs in terms of arrests.
Those who live in a CRC-designated Impact Zone, plan to locate their future cannabis business in an Impact Zone, or plan to hire future employees from Impact Zone locations can expand their learning base with an additional seven levels of coursework and more than 60 classes.
Entrepreneurs who are New Jersey residents over 21 and are interested in participating should visit nj.gov/state/bac/cannabis-training/about for more information and to register.
Since its debut they have unveiled some of the great many layers of classes.
Building the CTA
The CRC designated the New Jersey Business Action Center (NJBAC) to build and launch the Cannabis Training Academy (CTA). It is a no-cost technical assistance, training, and mentorship program. They want to support local cannabis entrepreneurs who wish to apply for a cannabis license in New Jersey.
The NJBAC is housed in the New Jersey Department of State.
The program leaders and instructors are some of the leading figures in New Jersey cannabis, like Executive Director Tauhid Chappell, advocate and attorney Jessica F. Gonzalez, businesswoman and advocate Precious Osagie-Erese, businessman and advocate Tahir Johnson, attorney Rosemarie Moyeno Matos, planner Chuck Latini, Joy Leaf dispensary co-owner Dharshini Casinathen, attorney Chirali Patel, cultivator license winner James Jackson, consultant Patricia Walker, and labor leader Hugh Giordano of the UFCW union.
A whole class of lawyers and consultants, including many Cannabis Training Academy program instructors, sprung up in the wake of New Jersey cannabis legalization, specializing as experts on these issues for applicants.
