• Impact of the War on Drugs
• New York State Cannabis Law
• Privacy & Drug testing at work
• Cannabis criminal records & expungement

The legalization of cannabis in New York was a game changer. It ended the war on drugs that led to mass incarceration and took economic opportunities from communities across the state. It also launched a new legal industry that will create a lot of jobs. In this class, you’ll learn about the history of cannabis laws and what legalization under MRTA means for you. We’ll talk about the changes to when drug testing is allowed at work. We’ll also cover the criminal records that can now be expunged and what it means for applying for jobs.

• Overview & Goals
• History of Cannabis Laws
• Industry Overview

Buds, strains, cannabinoids, and terpenes. In this class, you’ll learn about the cannabis plant and how it’s grown, including the different strains and characteristics. You’ll see different processes for growing, drying, and curing, and understand the variety of jobs in cannabis cultivation.
Then we’ll introduce you to the regulated, adult-use cannabis industry, with an overview of opportunities that goes from seed to sale.

• Extraction opportunities
• Manufacturing opportunities

It takes a lot of work for cannabis products to arrive at dispensaries as pre-rolls, vapes, tinctures, concentrates, or edibles. In this class, you’ll get a look at how different products are made and learn about the job opportunities each step of the way.

• Unions & collective bargaining
• Pay
• Time off
• Benefits

If you don’t know your rights, you can’t enforce them. Learn what the law guarantees about your pay, overtime, time off, and what happens if you get hurt or laid off.
All cannabis businesses in New York have to sign an agreement called a labor peace agreement. This means employers have to agree not to interfere with a union organizing their employees and their choice to join a union. It’s important to understand what this means for you. You have a right to have your voice heard at work!

A look at marketing, branding, packaging, and labeling in cannabis. Understand the job opportunities and the transferable skills employers need. Learn what it means for cannabis branding and packaging to be compliant in New York State.

• Retail opportunities
• Sales - characterizing products

In this class, we’ll look at how dispensaries operate and the range of retail jobs available. We’ll talk about characterizing products for customers and how to explain strength and effect. You’ll learn why it’s important to be able to listen to what the customer wants and how to make recommendations.

Compliance is the backbone of every cannabis business. In this class, we’ll look at what it means to be compliant in the cannabis industry, including the importance of seed-to-sale tracking.

• Cultivation - indoor, outdoor, hybrid
• Ergonomic hazards
• Occupational hazards

It’s important to understand the potential health and safety risks in cannabis cultivation, processing, and retail jobs. In this class, you’ll learn how to identify these risks and what to do to address them.

• Types of discrimination
• Dealing with sexual harassment
• Recognizing a hostile work environment

You have a right to a fair and equitable workplace that’s free of discrimination and harassment. The law says you can’t be discriminated against based on things like race, gender, how you pray, or who you love. But we all know it happens. Learn to recognize different types of discrimination and know what to do when you see it or it happens to you.

• Opportunities in ancillary industries
• Wrap-up

You’ve now learned about the job opportunities throughout the cannabis supply chain, from seed to sale. What else is needed to make the market work? What about delivery, logistics, security, accounting, packaging, marketing, culinary and hospitality jobs? In this final class, we'll look at some of the other jobs that support the industry and make it successful.