Seed-to-Success cannabis program providing free training to NY’s cannabis entrepreneurs

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More than 100 New Yorkers have completed a free two-day cannabis growing course that covers regulatory and workforce education in addition to cultivation, as the person behind the course hopes to grow it.

Seed-to-Success Statewide Live Workshop has been providing free training to people interested in New York’s cannabis industry – and those interested in the plant in general – said Precious Brown, CEO of Rochester events business Entertaining and Elevating with Cannabis, who has been running the courses.

“It’s important that we have a radically transparent conversation, and provide that intricate training that’s going to be needed,” Brown said.

The traveling training program is part of the New York State Cannabis Workforce Initiative — a partly state-funded collaborative effort of the nonprofit Workforce Development Institute and Cornell University’s School of Industrial & Labor Relations — which has trained hundreds of people on the basics of the cannabis industry since 2022.

Brown – who previously held operations management positions at companies including Xerox, Verizon and Paychex – said she and CWI staff built the program to serve numerous stakeholders, primarily in communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition.

The War on Drugs devastated many of New York’s minority communities, Brown said, which makes it even more important that people living in these areas have access to accurate information.

The course is aimed at anyone from consumers who want to learn more about the plant to entrepreneurs applying for cannabis business licenses, Brown said. Many training courses focus on people who want to start a business, but she said Seed-to-Success was designed to serve others who are interested in the cannabis industry.

“We have a good understanding that not everyone is going to want to enter into this regulated market and start their own business,” Brown said. “This is really a comprehensive program that really is putting the learner at the forefront to ensure that … you can make the best decisions.”

The two-day course consists of both classroom learning and interactive training. Students learn about soil theory and do living soil training. They learn how to make bubble hash, how to treat plants for pests, how and when to harvest, and the basics of budtending. They receive OSHA health and safety training, and participate in sessions that cover worker rights and responsibilities and complying with New York’s cannabis regulations.

Before launching Seed-to-Success’ statewide tour, Brown and CWI held pilot courses in Buffalo and Rochester last November. The results, Brown said, showed they were on the right track by mixing instructional learning about topics like regulations and worker rights with interactive classes on plant management.

“We saw that this is where all of the learners were completely engaged and engrossed,” Brown said. “It’s simply because they were able to receive the theoretical learning, the practical demonstration, and immediately, we put them into an interactive session.”

Since those first pilot courses, Seed-to-Success courses have been held in Poughkeepsie, and Albany. This weekend, Brown and CWI will host Seed-to-Success event in Brooklyn, followed by courses in the Bronx and Syracuse over the next few months. Brown hopes to continue traveling the state putting on more courses through the end of the year.

CWI is “highly invested” in the Seed-to-Success program, said David Serrano, the project manager of CWI, which was created to provide training on both the cannabis industry and the rights of people working in the sector.

CWI is using a two-pronged approach to cannabis education with expertise from Cornell and the Workforce Development Institute. WDI is creating training focused on industry education, while Cornell is providing information about worker rights and employers’ legal responsibilities.

Since the initiative launched in late 2021, its work has been funded by a $250,000 budget allocation from New York’s state legislature to Cornell, along with an appropriation last year of $2.5 million.

By spreading education about cannabis as a plant and an industry, Brown wants Seed-to-Success to provide people from communities harmed by the War on Drugs with an equal opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to enter the weed industry, or just understand the plant better, she said.

“Our goal is really to be a solution, I’m deeply invested in making sure that we can continue,” Brown said. “CWI is really leading from the front, and really making sure that they are training the workforce development for the state of New York, and really providing a sound education to make sure that the skill development is there.”

Disclosure: The Cannabis Workforce Initiative is a sponsor of NY Cannabis Insider events.