Foundations of the Cannabis Industry

Our core classes are the foundation of an Oaksterdam education and your first step in understanding and entering the cannabis industry. This course covers a comprehensive overview of cannabis history, policies, and federal vs. state law so you will know your rights and understand your risks. We also stay true to our roots and emphasize advocacy as a responsibility of all those operating in the cannabis space, to ensure everyone has legal and safe access to the plant.

Cannabis 101 provides a base of understanding for people seeking a career in cannabis, or individuals in ancillary industries such as law, real estate, marketing, and government, who wish to serve the emerging cannabis industry. It also is relevant for medicinal and adult-use advocates or the canna-curious, looking to be more educated on the plant and its uses.

We start with the history and policies of cannabis, exploring the role cannabis has played in shaping the modern world, as well as the many misguided public policies that have arisen as a result of efforts to prohibit it. We then examine the shift in public attitude toward the plant in the 1990s as people began to rediscover its therapeutic potential and how that shift ultimately culminated in the passage of the country’s first state medical cannabis law, California’s Proposition 215. We move to a brief discussion of the ongoing push toward medical and adult use legalization in the U.S. and worldwide and the role you can play as we write the next chapter of cannabis history.

Then, we move on to federal vs. state law, offering an overview of laws, public policies, rules, and regulations. The class covers federal laws prohibiting cannabis and the risks of breaking those laws, including mandatory minimum prison sentences, asset forfeiture, and collateral consequences. Students will gain an understanding of evolving federal enforcement priorities and tactics, federal laws and policies that affect cannabis banking and taxes, and federal hemp and CBD laws and oversight. Students also will understand how states prohibit or allow medical and adult-use cannabis and the basic components of state licensing of commercial cannabis, including license types, eligibility, application requirements, and operating regulations.

Finally, we cover advocacy for the cannabis industry, exploring the collective quest for social, legal, and political acceptance of cannabis use. We review how advocacy has played a crucial role in shifting the perception of cannabis, and how you can get involved in advocating for your rights as a patient or business.