The Following Instructional Design Case Study Will Provide You an Example of How We Have Created CUSTOM eLearning Solutions for Our Cannabis Industry Partners & This Gives an Insight Into Our Work.
State-Mandated Industry Compliance Training
As the legal medical and recreational cannabis industry expands across Illinois, companies within this new marketplace notice a lack of professional quality training to EDUCATE their workforce and maintain compliance. Illinois’ “Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act” provides for the controlled legalization of adult-use cannabis in the state.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) is charged under the Act with implementing and administering MULTIPLE aspects of the “Adult Use Cannabis Program,” including the licensing in the state and oversight of dispensing organizations, dispensary agents, and agent education providers.
Recently, Green CulturED partnered with Elevated Education to bring to market the Illinois Responsible Vendor training, the first-ever comprehensive training program REQUIRED for cannabis industry workers in the state. Elevated Education came to Green CulturED with the idea to create accredited compliance training for cannabis industry workers to meet government compliance.
"Helping Catalyze Our Social Equity Community That'll Make an Empowering IMPACT 100% Around Their Mission..."
"Helping Catalyze Our Social Equity Community That'll Make an Empowering IMPACT 100% Around Their Mission"
Disjointed Cannabis Laws & Industry Guidelines
The piecemeal, state-by-state nature of cannabis legalization prohibits the development of overarching federal laws to regulate the industry. The novelty of the cannabis industry and shifting public opinion about cannabis means that there are more “mainstream” people obtaining jobs in Illinois, increasing the NEED for government cannabis industry compliance training, which may have been largely ignored in the past.
This is becoming a problem for cannabis dispensary owners, managers, and staff. From growers (who may have started as enthusiasts) to retail Dispensary Technicians (who may have been hired for their past customer service or retail experience), the need for CONSISTENT compliance training across the cannabis industry is becoming very apparent. Whether cannabis companies blaze through the challenges or go up in smoke trying, the cannabis industry provides an insightful case study for Illinois employers who must meet the state’s Responsible Vendor annual training requirements.
Cannabis Industry “Training Gap” Study
A research study by Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research called “Training and Practices of Cannabis Dispensary Staff” published by Nancy A. Haug, Dustin Kieschnick, James E. Sottile, Kimberly A. Babson, Ryan Vandrey, and Marcel O. Bonn-Miller. The study revealed just over half (55%) of dispensary employees have had any FORMAL training regarding cannabis and only 20% had any type of specific medical or scientific training.
Of that group, 94% reported that even though untrained, they provided advice, guidance, or counsel to patients. Research also found recommendations in response to a patient’s conditions are frequently counter (or opposite) to the existing empirical literature on recommended cannabis use for disorders. Unfortunately, consumers look to dispensary agents for cannabis ADVICE rather than physicians when making decisions.
Recently, Green CulturED partnered with Elevated Education to bring to market the Illinois Responsible Vendor training, the first-ever comprehensive training program REQUIRED for cannabis industry workers in the state. Elevated Education came to Green CulturED with an idea to create an accredited compliance training for cannabis industry workers to meet government compliance.
Elevated Education Case Study
An Instructional Product Development Case Study Made Specifically for the Cannabis Industry & How We Were ENGAGED to Design Compliance Training That Created a Custom eLearning Instructional Product.
Project Sponsor: Elevated Education
Elevated Education is a woman and minority-owned firm dedicated to providing high quality, instructional sound training, and educational content. With many years of experience creating courses and curriculum for corporations, colleges and universities, the military, and a wide variety of industries, they have worked CLOSELY with clients to identify and fulfill all of the cannabis industry compliance training requirements.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation, Cannabis Control Section approved Elevated Elevation as an approved Responsible Vendor training provider. This designation authorizes them to DELIVER training for Dispensary Agents, including Dispensary Technicians (aka “Budtenders”), Managers and Agents-in-Charge. The Responsible Vendor training provides Dispensary Agents with compliance industry training on the following cannabis-related topics:
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- Checking Purchaser Valid Identification
- State Law Compliance & Dispensing Cannabis Rules
- Identifying Cannabis Impairment Signs
- Understanding Cannabis Physiological Effects
- Implementing Facility Security Measures
- Addressing Cannabis Consumption Health Concerns
"Helping Catalyze Our Social Equity Community That'll Make an Empowering IMPACT 100% Around Their Mission..."
Elevated Education’s Business Problem
A rapidly changing legal landscape in Illinois resulted in immense growth in the cannabis industry, creating an education and skills gap that required instructional product development. An eLearning compliance training course was developed by Elevated Education as an IDEAL solution to effectively train state-wide, with consistent, auditable, and accurate information that’s needed in Illinois’ industry.
The legalization of the cannabis industry meant new retail infrastructure, new distribution rules, new licensing rules, and a transition to a new legal framework for growers. Seeing an opportunity to HELP their clients maintain compliance with regulatory laws and frameworks, Elevated Education became one of the very first accredited cannabis compliance industry training companies in the state of Illinois.
- Expertise in developing custom eLearning solutions for the cannabis industry.
- Ability to pull together a project team to execute and deliver the project within a strict time frame.
- Flexibility to respond quickly to changing circumstances created by the emerging legislation.
Elevated Education’s Constraints
As Elevated Education needed to develop the “Responsible Vendor” compliance training while regulations were still being drafted, this created SEVERAL constraints:
- The first constraint was determining what would be in the compliance training. It’s hard to determine the length of a course, the instructional activities, or how long it would take to develop that course when you can’t CLEARLY identify the specific content required (new regulations hadn’t been drafted). Using our ingenuity, we researched and drafted content, making it easier for the experts to vet information.
- A second constraint was the limited availability of internal technical staff to contribute to the instructional design and product development. The DEMAND for their expertise was extraordinary for Elevated Education’s work as they were required to meet the impending legalization date that was scheduled in the state of Illinois.
"Helping Catalyze Our Social Equity Community That'll Make an Empowering IMPACT 100% Around Their Mission..."
- Expertise in developing custom eLearning solutions for the cannabis industry.
- Ability to pull together a project team to execute and deliver the project within a strict time frame.
- Flexibility to respond quickly to changing circumstances created by the emerging legislation.
- A third constraint was that Elevated Education did not have an operational Learning Management System (or LMS). We had to get up to speed on the inner workings of what Illinois required in the compliance training since every LMS influences the overall course structure and experience. As this was a government regulated training product to be sold by Elevated Education, we also needed to pay very close attention to the user experience to keep future support costs down to MAXIMIZE profitability. In addition, there were government “Responsible Vendor” reporting requirements to validate the learner’s identity, their training records, and certificates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find Questions Frequently Asked & Answers Provided for Informational Purposes ONLY By the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR).
How can I earn the title of a Responsible Vendor?
To apply, one needs to provide an attestation, upload a photograph, proof of residence, official ID, and documentation of any past criminal offenses.
Who is eligible to be a Responsible Vendor agent?
How are background verifications and criminal records assessed?
Who needs to undergo Responsible Vendor training?
When should one complete the Responsible Vendor training?
The training should be finished either before or within ninety (90) days after starting work at a dispensary. Any training outside this time frame won’t fulfill the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act’s requirements. How frequently is the Responsible Vendor training necessary?
Once a year. The two-hour Responsible Vendor session is part of the eight hours of annual training set by the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act.
How frequently is the Responsible Vendor training necessary?
What subjects are addressed in the Responsible Vendor training?
The training encompasses a broad range of subjects, including:
- Laws about Driving Under the Influence
- Restrictions on Cannabis Sales to Minors
- Employee Health & Safety Protocols
- Standards for Cannabis Dispensary Worker Safety
- Security Measures and Surveillance Guidelines
- Record Maintenance and Consumer Data Management
- Compliance with Inventory Tracking and “Seed-to-Sale” Rules
Additionally, it covers:
- Privacy Rights of Customers & Patients
- Best Practices for Cannabis Storage
- Recognized Forms of ID
- Pertinent Laws & Regulations in Illinois
- Procedures for Licensing & Enforcement Inspections
- Proper Handling and Disposal of Cannabis Waste
- Standards for Cannabis Packaging and Labeling
Can a single organization deliver the entire eight-hour training?
Is your training in line with IDFPR's yearly prerequisites?
- Operating the POS System & State Verification System
- Managing Inventory and Product Tracking
- Specific Cannabis or Cannabis-Infused Product Uses
- Preparing for Regulatory Checks & Law Enforcement Engagement
- Legal Obligations for Retaining Agent Status
Do all top executives need to undergo training?
Can dispensary agents assist buyers at an auxiliary location?
Yes, but only if the secondary location is wholly owned by the same entity as the medical cannabis dispensary where the agent is employed. The IDFPR mandates that an agent needs just one card for the same employer, irrespective of the type of dispensing license the employer possesses.
Can I oversee multiple dispensaries?
Can agents at medical dispensaries serve non-medical clients?
Can agents at adult-use dispensaries assist medical patients?
Our Mission
We’re Green CulturED & we’re on a mission. It’s simple, but a VERY powerful mission: We will train 1,000,000+ individuals over the next five (5) years on everything there’s to know about cannabis that’ll ensure regulatory compliance, reduce risk & increase profitability.
If we achieve this mission, we will create 100’s of 1,000’s opportunities for individuals that will add BILLIONS to the global economy. That’s a big deal! It’s an important mission & we’re “radically committed” since we believe it will change the world, yet we need help.
Why? We do this because we believe this industry is the most challenging, interesting & rewarding field there is. And finally, we do it for YOU. In the end, it’s our community that matters. We do our best learning together so… if you share our vision, let’s get started!