Naugatuck Valley Community College Launches Cannabis Horticulture Program – NBC Connecticut

It’s been more than a month since recreational cannabis became legal in Connecticut, and colleges and universities are jumping on board to teach students what they need to know about the emerging industry.

Naugatuck Valley Community College is launching a new course focused on cannabis production.

Christopher Tuccio, the horticultural program coordinator, explained a little about the thought process behind this course.

“The course was a long time coming. It was originally an idea in 2013, when the medical marijuana industry was legalized in the state of Connecticut. We were approached by a number of pharmacies who were licensed as medical marijuana pharmacies. and with the new legislation we recently decided to dip our toes in, “explained Tuccio.

Tuccio said it was actually Quinebaug Valley Community College that imported the Horticulture of Cannabis course first, and Naugatuck then worked with them to adapt it to their campus.

“Our campus is the only one of the 12 community colleges that offers horticulture. So it went really well together. Throughout the course, students will learn a lot of different things. It’s from the seed to the cultivation, so to speak, and everything in between. What they learn is plant nutrition, soil fertility, and the growth of the plant into a vegetative state. And then the actual harvest and cultivation of the CBD and THC used in the industry. “

The popularity of the course is overwhelming.

“It’s kind of ironic because it seems like we’re the best kept secret in the community college system. When you find out about this course and talk to me about what we have on campus: the four greenhouses, the 12 gardens, etc. you open your eyes to this wonderful world of natural spaces and plant biology that you didn’t know, “said Tuccio.

Other Connecticut schools are looking to implement programs related to the new industry. The University of Connecticut and Eastern Connecticut State University are two of the other schools that are introducing new programs.