A new series of workshops will give cannabis license applicants the business, compliance, and cultivation skills they need to succeed in Vermont's regulated cannabis marketplace. These short-term courses, created in partnership between VTSU, the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD), and the Vermont Cannabis Control Board (CCB), will be held December 5–6 on the VTSU Johnson campus.
The workshops will cover a range of topics designed to help participants navigate the complexities of the cannabis industry. Cannabis Business 101 will focus on financial management, business planning, and operating a vertically integrated cannabis venture. Cannabis Compliance will explore processing, packaging, marketing, and safety regulations aligned with Vermont CCB protocols. Challenges to Growing Cannabis will address pest control, plant biology, environmental impacts, and non-chemical cultivation strategies. Finally, Knowing Your Genetics will examine cannabis genetics, strain selection, and cultivation methods for various growing environments.
The workshops are open to cannabis licensure applicants and the public, although enrollment is capped at 12-15 participants per workshop. The cost is $250 per workshop, or $50 for social equity applicants, with tuition support available through ACCD. Workshop registration and additional information is available here:
"The Cannabis Studies Program puts Vermont State University at the forefront of cannabis education in the Northeast," said Phil Lamy, Professor of Sociology, Anthropology, and Cannabis Studies and Coordinator of the Cannabis Studies Certificate Program at VTSU. "By expanding what we are offering and working with the ACCD and CCB on these short continuing education courses, we're making cannabis education even more accessible to entrepreneurs, growers, and the cannabis-curious. These offerings are designed to help individuals build sustainable businesses that can comply with and thrive in the state's regulated marketplace."
Development of the one-day workshops was supported by the Chancellor's Innovation Fund, which awarded funding to the Cannabis Studies Program at VTSU in early 2025. The fund, an initiative of the Vermont State Colleges system Board of Trustees, supports projects that enhance collaboration across the system and foster partnerships between the university and the community—making it a natural fit for this effort, which brings together state agencies, educators, and industry stakeholders to strengthen Vermont's cannabis workforce.
In addition to these continuing education workshops, VTSU provides the required training and certification for VTSU students and anyone employed or seeking employment in the Vermont cannabis industry, with its popular 12-credit Cannabis Studies Certificate Program.
Now in its sixth year, the program has attracted students from across the United States and around the world. Among them are a student from Colombia who completed the certificate before returning home to work in their family's business, and a student from Ghana who is currently finishing the program and plans to cultivate cannabis for Ghana's emerging legal industry. Since its launch, nearly 50 students have earned the certificate, more than 100 are working in the cannabis industry, and hundreds more have enrolled in courses that integrate plant science, business, history, anthropology, and sociology.
Source: Vermont State University
