Why we should invest in cannabis education
Various institutions didn’t take long to pull out all the stops in creating cannabis education courses to cover most subjects. Unfortunately, most of these opportunities cost a fortune to complete, leaving this outlet accessible only to cannabis professionals, leaving out most of the population who could sincerely benefit from an improved understanding of how this plant grows and works.
With that in mind, we’d like to introduce you to the main reasons why governments, organizations, and businesses should step up and invest in cannabis education for all.
Knowledgeable consumers are more responsible
Just about everywhere you look, there are limits in place to “protect” consumers from making horrible mistakes with cannabis products. According to governments and regulators, this is a necessary evil, created to keep people from fumbling their way into disaster, but if that’s the case, then would they be necessary, with a more highly educated consumer base?
People who know what they’re doing don’t make anywhere near as many mistakes, and that’s why this alone is reason enough for more substantial investment into cannabis education.
Standardized education is better for everyone
Cannabis courses can be enlightening and life-changing, but those responsible for creating most courses out there right now are motivated by profit alone, which could be a large part of why this is one of the only industries where standardized education guidelines do not exist.
It’s also made it almost impossible for entrepreneurs, patients, and regular users to rely on the quality of education they receive, even after dishing out hundreds or even thousands of dollars in hopes of learning all they need. This is an issue for everyone, including cannabis businesses that are hiring workers that might not be properly equipped for the task at hand.
Accessible medical cannabis education improves patients’ lives and outcomes
Patients were the first to have legal access to cannabis with the approval of a medical provider, and to get this special privilege, they had to need it to treat select symptoms or conditions, but they’ve never been given direction on how to proceed with this kind of treatment. Unlike traditional prescriptions, cannabis products are not accurately dosed, covered by medical insurance, nor do they come with helpful little guides that explain how to use them.
Medical patients deserve enough cannabis education to navigate the complex journey of finding the appropriate doses and products to give them relief, and the only way they’re going to get that is if governments and regulators step up to the plate and invest in making these kinds of programs more plentiful and accessible.
People have nowhere else reliable to turn
Where do you go to learn about cannabis? Most enthusiasts in particular those that cannot afford higher education, turn to the internet to get the information they need, but as you can imagine, this isn’t a place where data is combed through or approved in any way, which is why there is so much information floating about, making it nearly impossible to find accurate answers with confidence.
Both recreational and medicinal consumers risk making mistakes based upon the information they have available to them, something that can add pressure to emergency resources unnecessarily, and we should be demanding better for society as a whole.
Reduce the stigma
The stigmatization of cannabis is something that’s decades old, and it’s going to take even longer to get rid of these long-held stereotypes completely. Improving cannabis education, clearing the air surrounding damaging perceptions of the plant and its users is the most effective way to combat this lingering damage, and we all want that, don’t we? To live in a less judgmental, more equitable place.
The whole world would benefit from improved access to quality cannabis education, and the longer we take to make that happen, the longer these stereotypes and issues for consumers will persist.
