Colorado certifies first medical marijuana university in the country | dscriber

By Greg Campbell l Published: Thursday, June 03 2010 09:23
We all knew those kids in school who could grow mad pot but who couldn't pass math. He or she knew all about nutrients, strains, grow lights and odor control, but if you asked them if they were ready for finals, they'd inevitably forgotten all about them. If you're like me, you were impressed with their drive and self-motivation, but only so far. The best the dude could do with his knowledge was lead a life of crime and risk spending a substantial portion of his life behind bars.

My, how things have changed -- people living in medical marijuana states have gotten used to all the old realities about the business of pot being turned on their heads, but each day still brings new surprises.

Here's the latest: Greenway University -- which is essentially a marijuana college -- became the first medical marijuana educational institution to be state-certified. It is licensed by the aptly-named Colorado Department of Higher Education to teach emerging ganjapreneurs everything about the industry from seed to sale.

That high schooler with a green thumb for cannabis gets the last laugh.

Greenway founder and CEO Gus Escamilla tells The Green Zone that the school will offer an entire gamut of courses, including how to open and run an MMJ dispensary, how to manage your patients, how to start up a delivery service and how to properly grow medical-grade marijuana. That last course is going to be especially important in the future, he said.

"Cultivation for medical marijuana is going to be one of the fastest and largest growing segments of the market," he said, and graduates can obtain a Master Grower Certificate. There are also "Bud Tender" certificates for dispensary employees to become experts in matching marijuana strains to specific ailments. And the school also offers an "MBA" -- a Marijuana Business Administration degree that covers pretty much everything involved in running a successful -- and legally compliant -- medical marijuana business.

Greenway began in LA, where it still has a presence, but moved the bulk of its operation to Colorado, which Escamilla calls "hands-down the epicenter" of the MMJ movement. It is also working in New Jersey and there are other plans for further expansion into other states. The Colorado certification is a tremendous boon not only to Greenway, but to the entire effort to legitimize medical marijuana and bring it into the mainstream.

"It's the first time in history in the medical marijuana industry where someone can have some type of validation from a state entity," he said. "We have the ability to offer government money to help fund educational programs and it really puts us into a higher platform. We can give grades, and have transcripts held by us and by the state."

Escamilla said Greenway's courses begin with ensuring that students are aware of the laws regulating the industry so that they can begin from a basis of compliance. That itself is a tall order considering the sometimes confusing regulatory provisions of HB 1284, the bill passed last month amid the loud grumbling of many MMJ proponents, who consider it too onerous. Gov. Bill Ritter has yet to sign 1284 into law, but he's indicated that he will.

Escamilla concedes that not everyone is happy with the new regulations, but prefers to focus on the positive aspects of it.

"Let's embrace the fact that they're regulating and allowing it," he said. "They're going to license it, regulate it and tax it. ... Colorado is truly setting the standard for the entire United States, and the entire United States is looking to Colorado for guidance and perspective."

For more information about Greenway University and its programs, visit Greenway University medical marijuana training school.
copobo Reviewed by copobo on . COLORADO CERTIFIES FIRST MEDICAL MARIJUANA UNIVERSITY IN THE COUNTRY Colorado certifies first medical marijuana university in the country | dscriber By Greg Campbell l Published: Thursday, June 03 2010 09:23 We all knew those kids in school who could grow mad pot but who couldn't pass math. He or she knew all about nutrients, strains, grow lights and odor control, but if you asked them if they were ready for finals, they'd inevitably forgotten all about them. If you're like me, you were impressed with their drive and self-motivation, but only so far. The Rating: 5