The legalization of cannabis for recreational use in Rhode Island is giving new meaning to the term “green jobs.” There are no more than 100 cannabis-related businesses, and the number of cannabis jobs eclipsed 1,700 in 2023, a 45% increase over 2022, according to the R.I. Department of Labor and Training.
But a budding sector is only as robust as the knowledge and training of its workforce.
To address growing employer demand, the Community College of Rhode Island is launching a 45-hour training program through its Division of Workforce Partnerships and funded by DLT’s Real Jobs Rhode Island initiative.
There will be on-site internship opportunities for the first cohort’s 15 enrollees, who will learn skills from customer service to risk management.
And it’s tuition-free.
Jennifer Johnson, vice president of the Division of Workforce Partnerships, says that in the days after the college’s May 29 announcement of the cannabis training program, 371 applicants filled out inquiry forms, with 140 of those sent in the 24 hours before she spoke with Providence Business News.
“That tells us the interest is there,” she said. “Employers are definitely having trouble filling these entry-level roles. So we can spark that interest while educating [people] on what this industry is and what it is not. And what the opportunities for advancement are within it.”
Magnus Thorsson, professor and co-founder of Johnson & Wales University’s Cannabis Entrepreneurship Program, which just graduated its first students in May, has tracked the trajectory of the Ocean State’s cannabis industry from the outset. He says that front-of-house workers are now more important than ever as marijuana gains greater social acceptance.
“Training in the basics of cannabis is really warranted. Efficiency of operation is now a critical part for these businesses to be sustainable. But one of the challenges in the industry is there is this tremendous knowledge gap,” he said. “There are still so many misconceptions. And the only way we meet supply with demand is by improving the sales channel from flower to consumer.”
Like the evolution in the restaurant industry, where suggesting red wine with meat and white with fish used to suffice, Thorsson said cannabis retailers must now move beyond “sativa for mind and indica for body,” referring to different effects of different cannabis species on the user.
“What the industry needs is a standard operating procedure,” Thorsson said, “which didn’t happen during the frenzy of dispensary openings. In the absence of scientific information, people tend to make up their own.”
Thorsson believes there has been a lack of a spotlight on the vast array of benefits cannabis can provide. This is no longer a stoner culture.
“There is very little focus on all the peripheral benefits other cannabinoids have that can contribute to a greater wellness and experience for the consumer,” he said. “We had the innovators and early adopters. Now we need to reach everyone else because [the next generation of] customers are not going to buy cannabis the same way.”
Johnson agrees. She says the goal of the pilot program is to eventually expand it beyond entry-level lessons to offer training on full-scale “cultivation, processing and production.
“Our mission and vision are to continue to be responsive to industry needs,” Johnson said. “And looking at how we can provide equitable training in the ways of cost and access. Then it’s just rinse and repeat, while looking at employer feedback and seeing what we can add to make this talent the best that they can be.”
At this point, according to employers, an interest in the intoxicating plant is not enough to get hired.
Lovewell Farms LLC co-founder and CEO Michael Simpson says that many skills from the broader agricultural industry in the state can be transferable to Lovewell. He thinks the CCRI program presents a perfect opportunity for prospective workers to “learn from a variety of business models, understanding what practices lead to success and which do not.”
Since the JWU program and another at the University of Rhode Island, Simpson has seen “an increase in qualified candidates with specific backgrounds in cannabis.” But since Lovewell is the only farm in the state growing U.S. Department of Agriculture organic hemp, he said, “experience in sustainable, outdoor cannabis cultivation remains rare.”
This multifaceted industry can get in the weeds. Simpson says the differing energy requirements of cannabis cultivation depend on locale. Outdoor grows create roughly 1/25th of the emissions of indoor counterparts.
“The most critical skills for the future involve sustainable agriculture practices within the cannabis industry,” he said, adding his hope is that educational institutions “prioritize incorporating sustainability into their curricula.
“Customers are discerning and tend to support businesses that demonstrate integrity,” he said. “Much like the microbrew industry in Rhode Island, the cannabis industry will see standout brands that thrive.”
