Northern New Mexico College offers marijuana class

SPANISH, NM (KRQE) – free time marijuana could soon be a booming industry in New Mexico. Just like in the film and brewery business, the universities will try to train the workforce. Northern New Mexico College comes into play early by starting a new class.

Legislators are betting on cannabis as the next lucrative industry in New Mexico and colleges are beginning to develop programs to train and certify people for jobs in the industry. “Right now is the time for people who want to get involved with cannabis to find the places where they need to be trained and educated,” said instructor Ishmael Mondragon.

Northern New Mexico College is offering an online course in June entitled ‘The Cannabis Establishment Technician Course, ‘a panacea to help those interested learn about the medical marijuana industry. “What we’re offering with the Cannabis Establishment Program is to keep you updated on the last 14 years of cannabis in New Mexico and to prepare you for what’s to come in New Mexico,” said Mondragon.

Mondragon will be teaching the course, which is offered by a third party company, SeedCrest, based in Albuquerque. While the class is focused on medical marijuana, he says what students learn can be applied to the recreational pot as well.

Initial sales are still a year away, but Mondragon says companies will be hiring soon. They hope to expand this to a multi-class certification program. “We want one for the cultivation, one for the extraction, one for the lab technician, and one for the entrepreneur, how to start your business, keep it going,” said Mondragon.

However, when it comes to gaining hands-on experience, they need to get creative. “Once we have a growth class, we will start using hemp and in doing so you will learn that hemp and marijuana are the same,” Mondragon said. He says these courses are also aimed at preventing accidents like the two explosions at the New Mexican Natural Medicine Facility in Santa Fe.

There are currently 47 students enrolled in the class.