NEW YORK (WBNG) — The New York State Office of Cannabis Management, or OCM, announced new employee workforce training.

The training program includes two free courses designed to protect health, promote workplace safety and support compliance with state regulations.

The first course, Cannabis Product Safety and Responsibility, will include information that impacts daily operations. The second course, Cannabis Product Responsibility, will highlight workers’ rights and promote workplace safety.

Public Health and Education with OCM Deputy Director Lyla Hunt said the training will be required for all cannabis employees.

“It’s [an] online free resource that is required for everyone in the supply chain,” said Hunt. “So whether or not it’s someone working in cultivation, on the seed side, all the way up seed to sales, so on the retail side, every individual in the New York state-regulated cannabis industry is indeed required to take these courses.”

Hunt said OCM is prioritizing shutting down illicit cannabis shops and that these courses will help keep consumers informed.

“We have a robust series of educational programs, of regulations, of rules that govern the adult use cannabis program. The same cannot be said of the illicit stores,” noted Hunt. “So we have many enforcement efforts going on every day across the state to help see those illicit shops that you mentioned are indeed shuttered.”

New cannabis employees are required to complete the current courses within 30 days of their start date, while current employees have until May 3 to complete the training.

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