The National Cannabis Industry Association is pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with our member Cannabis Trainers™!

In a pilot project reflecting our commitment to high industry standards for quality, safety, and responsibility, NCIA will host a series of training courses focused on food safety and responsible selling, open to all cannabis industry professionals but heavily subsidized for NCIA member-businesses.

With cannabis businesses under a microscope, NCIA wants to help our members continue developing the kinds of best practices that define a professional, sustainable industry. That includes the safe handling of cannabis edibles and the responsible, knowledgeable, and safe sale of cannabis in any form to their customer base.

NCIA’s pilot series will include both ServSafe® Food Safety Basics courses and Sell-SMaRT™ Responsible Cannabis Vendor training courses produced by member business Cannabis Trainers™. The first trainings will take place in Denver, Colorado in August, with additional trainings to be scheduled in the coming months.

Maureen McNamara, the founder and chief facilitator with Cannabis Trainers™ has 20 years of professional training experience, with an extensive background in food safety and responsible alcohol service training. She has served as a consultant and facilitator for courses and course design with the National Restaurant Association and has partnered with the Colorado Restaurant Association to deliver their trainings since 1999. In that time, she has trained and certified over 10,000 employees, managers, and owners in these national certification programs. Additionally, she worked with the Colorado Department of Revenue’s Liquor Enforcement Division to develop the Responsible Vendor Act that was passed in 2005 and will be working with the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division to design the Responsible Cannabis Vendor Program this year. Maureen and the team at Cannabis Trainers™ deliver highly interactive, compelling workshops and now are ready to bring this expertise and customizable training for professionals in the cannabis industry.

The first ServSafe® food safety training program will take place on August 6th from 9 am – 12 pm at the Colorado Restaurant Association in Denver.

The nationally accredited ServSafe® program provides food safety training, exams, certifications, and educational materials to professionals in the food service industry. Blending the latest FDA Food Code, food safety research and years of food sanitation training experience, this will be the first-ever ServSafe® course solely for makers of cannabis infused edibles. Employees and managers alike will learn to implement essential food safety practices and work within a culture of food safety. This course is in full compliance with and fulfills the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division’s requirements to demonstrate an understanding of basic food handling safety practices or attend a food handler training course prior to manufacturing any Edible Retail Marijuana Product.

This three-hour course is $10 for each NCIA member employee and $45 for each non-member employee. Registration for the ServSafe® training program is available online here: http://ServSafeAug6.ezevent.com/

The first Sell-SMaRT™ training program will take place on August 19th from 12 pm – 5 pm at the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado non-profit space.

The Sell-SMaRT™ course is a responsible vendor training program aimed toward owners, managers, budtenders, and all front-line store staff to prepare for safely and effectively handling complex situations in operating a business. The responsible vending program will cover such topics as educating consumers about potency, dosage, and effects of different forms of cannabis. In addition this course will encompass issues regarding ID verification and following the numerous and varied legal regulations around selling cannabis.

This five-hour course is $97 for each NCIA member employee and $147 for each non-member employee. Registration for the Sell-SMaRT™ training program is available online here: here: http://SellSMaRTAug19.ezevent.com/

NCIA strongly believes that the knowledgeable, responsible production and sale of cannabis products is a cornerstone to the success of our industry. Educating yourself and your employees is one of the most important things you can do to build a sustainable future for your business.

If you aren’t yet a member of NCIA, please consider joining today! Membership starts as low as $100 a month or $1,000 a year and not only do you receive benefits such as discounted prices for these trainings, but you support the cannabis industry’s only unified and coordinated national campaign to change laws and public opinion.