University of Nevada, Reno Announces Cannabis Scholarship

Two companies in the cannabis space, Green Flower and Curaleaf, announced in an Aug. 8 press release that they are working with the University of Nevada, Reno, to offer a full scholarship to the university’s online cannabis education program.

2News in Reno reports that the scholarship is available to local students for one of the four available online certificate programs in cannabis education offered at the university.

“We are very pleased that Curaleaf and the University of Nevada, Reno, are partnering with us to offer online cannabis education programs to support the training and development of potential future employees in such a powerful way,” said Max Simon, CEO of Green Flower. “The knowledge and skills students acquire through these programs will positively impact their careers in the months and years to come.”

Green Flower produces online training and content designed to help people get started and thrive in the cannabis industry. Green Flower also works with colleges and universities to help job seekers and professionals thrive in the increasingly competitive cannabis market.

The scholarship is full and grantees also have the opportunity to connect with someone from within the company who funded their scholarship to discuss their long-term career goals and learn more about opportunities in their field.

Hurry, applications for scholarships are only open until August 11th. Scholarship recipients will be selected during the week of August 14th.

There are several ways to benefit from the program: All applicants who do not receive a full scholarship are still eligible for a $500 partial scholarship toward the cost of their chosen program. All scholarships must be applied for by August 21, 2023.

In the United States, Curaleaf currently operates in 19 states with 152 pharmacies. It’s also the largest vertically integrated cannabis company in Europe.

Interested students can find out more about the scholarship and the application process here.

Cannabis reform in Nevada

In Nevada, home of the University of Nevada, Reno, the industry is about to undergo profound changes.

The Las Vegas Sun reports that Senate Bill 277 allows adult cannabis customers to purchase up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis flower or a quarter ounce of THC concentrate, an improvement over one ounce or one-eighth ounce, respectively.

Under the new law, which goes into effect on January 1, 2024, retailers offering both adult-use cannabis products and medical cannabis products are only required to hold one license and not specific licenses for both.

Senator Dallas Harris (D-Las Vegas) introduced the bill. “It will reduce some of the administrative burden for many of our operators, who are typically dual licensees to begin with,” Harris said. “When we originally set up our structure to have separate licenses, it made sense because we had medical use first and then adult use. But now that the industry is back on its feet, I think it makes sense to streamline that process.”

The new law also includes a provision providing an appeals process for ex-convicts who wish to apply to the Nevada Cannabis Control Board (CCB) for an agent card allowing individuals to work with cannabis in the state.

The law also reduces some of the annual and overhead fees charged by the CCB – in some cases by as much as 90%. The fee reductions are significant: the fee for obtaining a cannabis facility license for a grow facility has been reduced from $30,000 to $3,000, and the renewal of such a license has been reduced from $10,000 to $1,000.