Lift & Co. and MADD Canada have entered into an exclusive partnership to train and certify retail cannabis staff across the country.

MADD (Mother’s Against Drunk Driving), known for their anti-impairment and driving campaigns, will provide instruction on consumption and safety as a compulsory part of the course.

“Our experience with alcohol sales has shown that having comprehensive training and responsible service guidelines for front-line staff is crucial to reducing alcohol-related harms, including impaired driving,” said MADD Canada Chief Executive Officer Andrew Murie in a press release. “The same will be true of cannabis retail sales. MADD Canada is pleased to partner with a leader like Lift and support this program, which will ensure that all those involved in the retail sales of cannabis are well-trained about the products, about safe usage guidelines, and about social responsibility principles.”

The course will be offered as a two-day “bootcamp” for employees and a five-day intensive course for store managers and product specialists.

Public health and harm reduction, law and liabilities, the endocannabinoid system, and working with cannabis customers are some of the topics that will be covered.

‘There isn’t currently a standard of training,” Matei Olaru, CEO of Lift & Co. told Daily Hive over the phone.

The course will be offered to both private and provincial retailers, and so far there has been a “great response.”

One issue facing retail cannabis employees is the kind of information they will be allowed to give clients. The program will utilize Lift’s online educational resources, including reviews from verified users on strains and their effects. Clients will be directed to the website via in-store tablets to provide access to relevant information.

Olaru said training programs will likely begin in August so that retailers will be ready once legalization is implemented.

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