Article by Eli Holm. Photo by Eli Holm.
In terms of a product that has undergone the most changes to its production, sales, uses, and legality, it’s hard to think of a shapeshifter quite like cannabis in the United States.
Soon after Congress passed the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, which unofficially banned the plant through harsh regulation on every sale, the states followed, outlawing marijuana entirely. Minnesota called for the Eradication of Indian Hemp, declaring marijuana a “menace to the public welfare and the growth,” in 1939.
But in the 80 years since criminalization, Minnesota kept turning over new leaves in its relationship with marijuana.
Minnesota established its first medical cannabis program in 2014, and in 2023, it legalized recreational use.
Of course, legalizing marijuana is one thing, but the implementation strategy and business cultivation is another. With decades of stigma, misinformation, and lack of formal education, the industry was awaiting the authority necessary to help its growth.
According to Abram Hedtke, Executive Director of Professional and Continuing Education (PACE), St. Cloud State University was at the forefront to meet these demands.
“[Before the laws signage in August of 2023] in April and May, my dean and I looked around and said how could we be first to the public,” Hedtke said. “What could we do to provide education in the cannabis industry to Minnesotans who are looking to get into the industry?”
Hedtke and the team at PACE partnered with Green Flower, a cannabis industry training provider, to offer five online programs, including agriculture, medical, and retail development classes. To this day, St. Cloud State is still the only institution of higher learning in Minnesota to offer any type of cannabis education.
“From the state level, we had accolades from the highest levels of leadership,” Hedtke said. “Governor Walz and Senators in the state of Minnesota have recognized our program.”
The spirit for providing Minnesota with a scholarly center prioritizing learning the supply chain and regulations in the rapidly evolving industry has kept PACE’s cannabis studies program growing. And the Minnesota industry continues to grow too; today, there are 16 dispensaries across the state and over 4000 registered businesses with the Office of Cannabis Management.
That’s also the spirit that built Green Flower, the company partnering with St. Cloud State and trying to lead nationwide cannabis education efforts. Green Flower was founded in 2014 by CEO Max Simon in California, who, after a background in online education, was looking for a new entrepreneurial adventure to apply his skills to.
But the story of how cannabis and education bloomed into Green Flower is much more personal for Simon.
“I was diagnosed with ADHD back in the 80s, which is way before [the medical field] understood how severe it was,” Simon said. “I was prescribed all sorts of medications, but they made me feel terrible, and I had severe mental side effects.”
So, to try and ease the effects he was feeling from both ADHD and the ADHD medicines, Simon found cannabis. He’s been a lifelong medical user ever since.
“I don’t identify as somebody who has a struggle with ADHD because I dialed in my cannabis medicine so appropriately that I only get the benefits and get no negative side effects,” Simon said.
But despite the personal gains Simon felt, the stigma, misinformation, and federal classification never sat right with him. So, in 2014, as the conversation was cementing into action and legalized recreational marijuana was right around the corner for California, Simon saw potential.
“Every part of the industry is complex and not very well understood,” Simon said. “And when you have misunderstanding and complexity, that’s the perfect environment for education to have an impact, so I created Green Flower to service the entire industry and become that credible force of education.”
Since its launch, Green Flower and the cannabis industry have continued to expand. They now partner with 63 schools, and Simon continues to pitch the economic potential to new ones.
“We now live in an era where it’s more common to be in a legalized state than it is to be in an illegal state,” Simon said. “You now have an industry that employs around 450,000 people, and that’s on track to do $45 billion in revenue.”
This was the world Simon and Hedtke saw when looking to implement Green Flower through St. Cloud State, and so far, the partnership has exceeded both their expectations.
“It’s been one of the most successful partnerships in our entire portfolio,” Simon said. “In terms of signing up for the program, students completing the program, [the school is] getting ready for this new Minnesota market.”
The “new market” Simon refers to is the OCM’s current openings for business licenses. In a press release, OCM interim director Eric Taubal wrote about the urgency of getting licenses in the hands of business owners. The diversity of cannabis consumption means businesses that haven’t stepped a foot in the industry are now seeing how the different scientific and product developments might cater to their sector.
It also means the potential for many new job opportunities. According to Hedtke, that job scale can already be seen in Minnesota, and part of that is due to PACE’s student networking strategy.
“[We work] closely with companies, labs, growing stations, growing partner stores, and continually attend conferences,” Hedtke said. “The Ojibwe Nation has one of the largest growing facilities in the state, and we’re working with them to determine how we can help train their staff.”
As for the cannabis industry at large, Simon is predicting hyper growth and a change in the attitude toward the plant, its products, and its legality.
“I think it’s a matter of time before cannabis gets rescheduled, and I’m hopeful the new Trump administration does take steps to enact a federally legalized cannabis program, which would mean people would no longer go to jail for cannabis possession,” Simon said. “I’m hopeful this administration uses the science and the research rather than the stigma to create better reform and regulations, and if we do that, the industry goes from a $45 billion industry to a $100 billion industry.”
Hedtke and Simon both keep a close watch for this growth and have continued to strategize how St. Cloud State can continue to meet the demand. PACE is set to open its next round of online programs on March 3, and according to its analysis of the numbers, enrollment is on track.
“We just enrolled our 420th student,” Simon said.
Recent Comments