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S3E33learning-cannabis-cultivation-in-college: Otter Voice Meeting Notes

S3E33learning-cannabis-cultivation-in-college

Natalia Sobery21min

Victoria Zamora

00:03

One of the most difficult problems is there's not a history of cannabis education. And that's kind of like the big thing in industry to begin with is a lot of people are not educated about the plant. So getting that out there and getting those stereotypes looked at and explored and why we are where we're at in today's industry, I think is the most important for people to understand, and for people not to be afraid to learn about the plant.

Steve Fast

00:29

In June of 2019, a bill was signed by the Governor of Illinois for the recreational legalization of cannabis. In terms of revenue. This has been a major step for the state, which has collected $445 million in tax revenue from legal marijuana sales. Cannabis is fastly becoming a cash crop in major industry in Illinois. This is random acts of knowledge presented by Heartland Community College. I'm your host Steve fast. With a growing industry there is a growing need for workers who specialize in cannabis growth. A number of community colleges have started up cultivation programs for cannabis including Heartland Community College. Today we're going to talk with one of the instructors who's building the cannabis cultivation program at Parkland.

Victoria Zamora

01:13

My name is Victoria Zamora. I am the professor for our cannabis cultivation certificate at Heartland College, we have our certificate for cannabis cultivation. And I teach three out of the seven classes that are required for that certificate and you know, I carry most of the cannabis actual classes around that. So I'm excited to teach people about the industry and you know, get them knowledgeable about this beautiful plant we

Steve Fast

01:40

have. Can you tell us a little bit about what the cannabis cultivation program will be? What will students learn? And how does that fit in with where they might want to go in the future?

Victoria Zamora

01:51

Yeah, this is actually a great program. I really wish this program was around when I started in the cannabis industry. However, here we are today we can make things right and that cannabis cultivation certificate program. The first thing that you'll take is intro to cannabis and this is a great deep dive into everything cannabis. We learn about the history of cannabis, we move into the plant science. And then we go into careers in the industry which are very vast, you know, there's definitely things outside of just cultivation or the dispensary work. The other classes include cannabis regulatory compliance, compliance is a huge thing here in the United States with cannabis. Since we're not federally legal yet, each state has its own compliance. And it's really important to understand those to be successful in this industry. And then in the springtime, which is really exciting, the greenhouses are getting built up and we'll be ready for our cannabis cultivation class, where we really get hands on with the plants and that's going to be so helpful for individuals going out into the industry. You know, it is such a new industry and there have been people that have been growing cannabis for a long time in their life, but you know how our dads illegally but they have great skill sets. So now's the time to let this plant shine and let people get those talents out there and really advocate for the plan and the good it can do.

Steve Fast

03:11

You mentioned the greenhouses in the hands on component is there I don't think you can grow cannabis on the campus apartment community college are you doing that? Are you growing something else?

Victoria Zamora

03:23

Yeah, so you know the word cannabis is used in very many different terms all cannabis is Cannabis sativa however, it is broken down legally into other terms for the state of Illinois. Anything that is above your point 3% THC levels is considered marijuana and anything below the point 3% THC levels is hemp so for our classes here at Heartland we'll be using what is legally categorized as the hemp plant so below that point 3% thc

Steve Fast

03:55

so good for making rope but not good for recreational use otherwise probably you know

Victoria Zamora

04:00

now you know it really depends. There's so many different types of hemp and hemp that will be growing in our greenhouse. What we're trying to achieve with that would be smokeable CBD flower. So that would be more of that medicinal use of CBD however hemp can be grown for other purposes, like you said rope as well. So you have your more like ag straight prop road hemp and then your more specialized greenhouse grown hemp so really depends on what your goals are. So we were going to teach about all types of the cannabis plant and depending on what you want to go into, there are just so many opportunities.

Steve Fast

04:38

Is there a difference visually in the types that you're talking about? You know, or is it just something that like so many other crops, there's different ways to grow it to have a different effect? Could somebody just look at a cannabis plant and know the difference between one from the other?

Victoria Zamora

04:53

Does the average person not necessarily the plants look very similar here in the state of Illinois, you probably definitely could Drive by some hemp farms and think wow, that looks just like a you know, a high THC cannabis plant. But you know, they could look very depending on yet again, let's talk about the purposes of the plant, you know, we are trying to grow it for rope, the plant tends to be really tall and lengthy. You know just what it look like your typical Canvas plant that we see in pictures that people tend to smoke for the different genetics, they could look exactly the same. And you really wouldn't know unless you tested the plant itself.

Steve Fast

05:31

So you mentioned how you learned and you wish that there would have been courses like this when you started. Can you tell us a little bit about your background, how you learned about cannabis? What you're doing right before you started working at Heartland? How did you start to develop knowledge and develop your skills in figuring out how to cultivate cannabis?

Victoria Zamora

05:49

Yeah, it was a great journey that I'm so glad I went on. My degree is in recreational therapy, which I loved and it took me down to Quincy, Illinois, we're working in the VA nursing homes, I had a lot of patients that would use cannabis topicals to help relieve pain. However, since it is not federally legal, those patients were no longer allowed to use those topicals within the VA and that really broke my heart because it was such a natural medicine that had no other side effects for these patients. And they were not allowed to use it anymore. So I knew I needed to get into a new realm, a new career. And I started looking for opportunities within the cannabis industry. I didn't know what I was doing and I kept looking on indeed and just you know was not sure about what was a valid job or even how to get into it.

Victoria Zamora

06:43

So I started networking and I came across a friend I had for a long time and discovered she was in the cannabis industry working at a medical dispensary. So she was like come apply interview, we'll see what we can do for you. And I went ahead and did that and got my foot in the door and the journey just continued. From there. I worked with medical patients within the medical dispensary. I moved into the adult use dispensaries and I just knew I needed to know more about the plant itself. So I relocated my home and moved to a new location where I started working in a cultivation center where I began as a harvester and let me tell you what a job that was. I learned so much because you are so hands on as soon as you get into the industry and you have so many opportunities to work your way up in different avenues.

Victoria Zamora

07:36

I wanted to become a cultivator I worked hard I studied under people did a lot of research and gain those skills. And then from being a cultivator I decided I wanted to get into the compliance side of everything we were doing. And I became a compliance officer. And I just really fell in love with that, you know, being an advocate for the plant and for those who need it. So it's been a, you know, years of a journey, but I'm so happy I went on it. And one thing that's so special and unique about the cannabis industry is the networking. We all support each other and want to give each other all the knowledge in the world. And it's just such a family environment when you work in the cannabis industry.

Steve Fast

08:15

It sounds like you've really seen the industry evolve. What is the difference now between the industry in growing and selling cannabis? Compared to where you started? How is it really developed and changed in this state?

Victoria Zamora

08:31

Yeah, Illinois has definitely gone into my own personal journey as well. It started off with the legalization in the medical pilot program. And that really started opening the doors to a lot of people to receive cannabis as a medicine. And then the big dramatic change that happened for us recently here in the state of Illinois was the legalization and 2020 of adult use. And that really changed up the game. More licenses were put out for cultivators to grow cannabis, more people had access to cannabis that way, and then you know, more dispensaries started popping up.

Victoria Zamora

09:05

And I think it really started giving more of an opportunity to educate the general public about the use of cannabis as well. Though there is a distinction between medical use and recreational use, I will always argue that adult use is used medically most of the time as well. But people just don't quite understand the difference of those who apply for their medical card. Also, what has come in the state of Illinois, which is unique for us is these ideas of a craft license.

Victoria Zamora

09:34

So socially quality has been really important for the state of Illinois and our cannabis industry. So the special craft licenses went out to help individuals who might not be able to afford to apply for the big cannabis license to get their foot in the door. Get some awesome flour out there to MediCal patients and to kind of make up for what we have done in the past for individuals who use cannabis. So though They're underway. Still, they went through a lot of court battles to get those out. But you know, I'm glad we live in a state that finds the social equality aspect of cannabis important and is doing something about that.

Steve Fast

10:12

Yes, that was a part of the bill was to incorporate, at least at some level on this bill, the social equality and some of the process of getting a license involves that because I believe they were looking regionally.

Victoria Zamora

10:25

That was fully correct. They Yeah, they really took the time to look at the different regions and to look at, you know, minority owners, veteran owners, and then those areas that have been really impacted by arrest of cannabis as well. So like I said, I think it's a great thing that we can live in a state that's actually you know, taking the time to look at those things within the cannabis industry and try to, you know, right some wrongs.

Steve Fast

10:48

I want to ask you a little bit about some of those jobs. Have you seen more job opportunity develop having worked in the industry or adjacent to the industry for a while? Are there more entry level jobs in this industry now than there used to be? Is there a big demand?

Victoria Zamora

11:03

Yeah, I would say job growth as grown a lot in the last few years. And the beautiful thing about the cannabis industry is almost every job is entry level, because there has not really been a formal education for cannabis yet. So getting your foot in that door is usually the biggest step that you get involved with cannabis and ways to do that is to definitely not work, get your name out there, until also get certifications like this course, to get in there. But you know, definitely whether you're wanting to grow or be in the dispensaries, there's other avenues to be adjacent to the cannabis industry. We have a lot of local grocery stores that supply with soils, and amendments and grow tents and the grill whites.

Victoria Zamora

11:46

And I would say they're just as much as part of our industry as the big cultivators, because they're really out there helping you know, our medical patients with their home grows. And then just helping educate in general. Advocacy is very important when you work in the cannabis industry. And all those opportunities are coming through more and more. We have women in cannabis up in Chicago, which you can join normal, which is a great advocacy program, which you can join as well. And just really like having an understanding of those laws. I think another really big part of being in the cannabis industry is understanding that the clients and the law surrounded by them, because in order to keep yourself safe and the product safe, you have to understand the laws which are changing all the time since the growing industry.

Steve Fast

12:34

Well, you mentioned the laws. And you also mentioned home growers. And that's something we really haven't talked about. So first of all, what is it legal for you to grow at home for personal consumption medical use currently?

Victoria Zamora

12:46

Yeah, that's a great question. And I think there's such a misconception around that a lot of people understand that cannabis is legal here in the state of Illinois. But there are definitely rules and regulations you have to follow. Only individuals who are part of the state of Illinois Medical pilot program are allowed to grow cannabis plants within their home. And there's definitely other you know, things that go along with that the amount of plants you're allowed to have, how tall they can be, what room they're located. So understanding all of that is really important. And we definitely cover all that in our cannabis compliance course.

Steve Fast

13:21

Looking at some of the things you teach people about cultivation, just for the rookies, how hard is it? Is it difficult is it something that is unique from other plants? What are the some of the first things that you want to tell people to get them started on learning the basics?

Victoria Zamora

13:36

Yeah, I love this question because I find people are always so afraid to start their home grow or to you know, get in the industry and learn how to grow a cannabis plant. I'd like to tell people a cannabis plant is a plant like any other plants, you know, people have been growing cannabis for many years, we go back to ancient times you were growing cannabis, you know, it's nicknamed weed. It doesn't grows it grows like a weed is a very vigorous plant that loves to grow. It gets complicated when you're really trying to get those high THC cannabinoids or you're trying to you know, make those terpenes really pop out the plant so that's when it starts becoming more complicated when you're really breeding for those different genetics.

Victoria Zamora

14:18

But to just grow the plant itself is just like you know, going out in the garden and growing any vegetable plant every plant deserves different care and has special needs. But I'd like to tell people not to be so afraid to get in there and start you gotta just try and you know, you learn by failure and that is the same thing with growing cannabis. You know, you try something new. You try a you know, new nutrient line and see what it does for your plan. And if it doesn't work that time you move on.

Steve Fast

14:46

How specialized does it get? How many different varieties of cannabis? How difficult is it to develop those different traits within the plant?

Victoria Zamora

14:57

One thing here in the state of Illinois that we've been We're lucky that our adult use and medical use came a little bit later is that, you know, on the west coast, they really had time to develop good solid genetics for our cannabis plant. So we're able to take those plants that we know have those levels of THC and CBD and those different terpenes for medicinal use, and then grow them here in the state of Illinois. So we kind of already had someone that did all that background work for us as far as those genetics and we're able to use those, but each plant is different. And each time you grow it, it can turn out different, but the way that cultivators grow their plants is how we get those consistent levels of THC CBD in those terpenes.

Victoria Zamora

15:42

So the big thing about like in the cannabis industry versus what I kind of do with my home grow is how I grow my plants. So when you grow from seed, you're not always sure exactly what levels of cannabinoids you're gonna get, or which terpenes are going to pop out more. But when you're working in the industry, you tend to grow from clones. And that gives you a more solid base of what levels of cannabinoids and terpenes, you're going to get from each plant that keep that consistency for all those different strains that you do see in dispensaries. That way, when you do find a strain that really speaks to your body, well, you can keep going back and keep getting very similar results.

Steve Fast

16:20

Growing for scale growing for industry is very different than growing for a small garden. What are the different approaches that one has to take in, say, if you're going to go work at a farm versus working in a smaller operation or for like a boutique or individual grower?

Victoria Zamora

16:38

It's a great question. And when you work for a larger cannabis cultivator scale is important and we are trying to push out a lot of product quality is still very important to large cultivators. And each plant is looked at at the end of harvest to see what quality the plant has produced. And whether that is good flower for individuals to consume smoking or whether that flower would need to go into the lab and be processed into something else. However, pushing out continuous books of cannabis is kind of the main goal. However, when you get to these craft grows, or your more specialized CBD hemp farms, you have a much smaller scale of production, and you have a very small intimate team that is working with those products and really kind of watching them day to day for each plant.

Victoria Zamora

17:30

And there's a different goal there, you know, those individuals are probably really catering to more of those medicinal users that really require those different levels of all those different cannabinoids and terpenes. So it just really depends on which part of the industry you get into as far as what your goals are. But I would say quality is always really important no matter where you're at. And especially here in the state of Illinois, we have all of our stuff is lab tested, and has to go through these procedures. So quality is number one for any part of the Illinois Cannabis industry.

Steve Fast

18:04

This program is just getting underway. What are some of the challenges of getting it launched? We'll see our first students in the fall of 2023. What are the unique challenges for getting this curriculum going versus say any other agricultural program,

Victoria Zamora

18:19

I have been building these courses myself, and along with some help. And one of the most difficult problems is there's not a you know, history of cannabis education. And that's kind of like the big thing the industry to begin with is a lot of people are not educated about the plant. So getting that out there and getting those stereotypes looked at and explored and why we are where we're at in today's industry, I think is the most important for people to understand. And for people not to be afraid to learn about the plant, I think is another kind of scary thing about getting into cannabis courses.

Victoria Zamora

18:56

You know, I know when I first got into cannabis, that maybe my family was not going to be the most thrilled that this is what I decided to do with my master's degree. However, I would not change a thing. I have not only educated my family about this beautiful plant and what it can do. But you know, I've had the opportunity to educate so many and to truly change some lives. So I would say the biggest thing about getting this program up and going is to really get the education out there for people to feel comfortable taking the course and to really understand what they can do with this course and make such a difference out there in the cannabis industry.

Steve Fast

19:31

And do you anticipate taking this into a more public sphere with a community college that you will hear, you know, how much education do you think you're going to have to do for the community itself? I mean, I know that there are definitely people interested in the program. And there are many inquiries from the student side but there are I'm sure will be criticisms as well.

Victoria Zamora

19:51

Yeah, I think this getting the word out there that we have this program that we are proud of it and you know doing things such as talking to you Do just letting people know that you know, we are here with welcome arms to teach anybody, whether you're interested in becoming a cultivator, whether you're just curious about the plant itself and you want to become a medical patient in your own home grow, or you know, you just wanted to take a class learn about something new, you know, we have open arms for anybody interested in these classes.

Steve Fast

20:22

Well, Victoria, thanks so much for talking to us about this program. It's a very exciting time to get these things going and in conjunction with the expansion of agriculture programs we have going on. Well, I appreciate you joining us and thank you very much for taking the time to talk about this program.

Victoria Zamora

20:38

Yes, thank you so much, and I'm so excited to start seeing the students here in the fall.

Steve Fast

20:48

Victoria Zamora teaches courses in the cannabis cultivation program at Heartland Community College. She talked to us today about the program which begins in the fall of 2023. If you're interested in other interviews about agriculture, education, or other topics, subscribe to random acts of knowledge on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you found this one. Thanks for listening.

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