The Cannabis Control Commission (Commission) on Thursday announced an approved list of qualified vendors to provide training materials and services as part of the nation’s first statewide Social Equity Program.
The Commission’s program is designed to create sustainable pathways into the legal, adult-use industry for Massachusetts residents who have been disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition and face barriers to entering the market. Eligible applicants will receive professional instruction, technical services, and mentoring from vendors that will be chosen from the list below:
• Cannabis Community Care and Research Network (C3RN): a provider of advocacy, research, and education services related to cannabis;
• Earthwise Outreach: a Boston-based cannabis training and education group specializing in entry level and entrepreneurial training;
• Greenlight: a provider of client services for navigating the cannabis industry landscape;
• Marketing Edge Consulting Group: a certified, woman-owned business that collaborates with public and private organizations to help entrepreneurs achieve their business goals;
• Massachusetts Recreational Consumer Council (MRCC): a nonprofit that seeks to ensure the safety of recreational marijuana consumers by bridging the gaps between communities, local legislators, and Massachusetts businesses;
• Point7: a Women’s Business Enterprise National Council-certified organization supporting cannabis businesses throughout the United States and abroad;
• QIC: a team of professionals with multistate managerial experience in medical and recreational consumer-facing cannabis markets.
To identify these businesses and organizations, the Commission published a Request for Qualifications seeking responses from those capable of developing courses and providing training focused on the skills needed to start, own, manage, or work in a licensed marijuana establishment. Through four teaching tracks based on trainees’ diverse needs and career goals, participants will be able to develop competency in areas such as accounting and sales forecasting, business plan creation, farming best practices, identifying funds and raising capital, navigating municipal processes, tax prediction and legal compliance, and more.