OKANAGAN - A new course at Okanagan College will teach students about the emerging marijuana industry.

With the federal government pursuing the legalization of recreational cannabis, the Okanagan College School of Business is launching a new course to teach students about the regulatory process and business impacts of the industry, the College announced in a media release today, Sept. 5.

“Our third and fourth-year students will have an unprecedented chance to monitor the regulatory and legislative process of a new sector as it unfolds,” David Cram, the course’s instructor and a 26-year veteran Okanagan College professor says in the release. “The reality is students are hearing and reading about this topic and can relate to it. Our goal is to join the conversation by providing them with an unbiased research-based perspective.”

Topics covered in the course, titled ‘The Emerging Marijuana Industry’ will include: regulation requirements, legal and legislative frameworks, pricing issues and risk assessments, impact on auxiliary industries such as tourism, health, agriculture, law enforcement, and business ethics. The course is intended to provide an objective perspective and will not include manufacturing or technical operational content, the College says.

“There is great benefit in preparing a business community to know more about the cannabis industry that is clearly shaping up to be an important part of Canada’s growing economy,” Cram says. “One way to mitigate industry challenges is to promote and advance research. The more we know, the more oversight and accountability, the better and safer people will be.”

The course will also discuss the “legitimate medicinal side of the industry.”

“As educators, we have a responsibility to prepare students for the world ahead by providing a thought-provoking learning environment,” William Gillett, Dean of the Okanagan College School of Business says in the release. “Our special topic courses, such as this one, are relevant to the changing and emerging business environment students will face upon graduation.”

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