Farmingdale State College hosted a full day of cannabis education on Saturday, June 14.
The Long Island Cannabis Session began at 9:45 a.m., which featured multiple experts teaching the best practices and strategies to produce cannabis.
“It sounds simple on the surface, but we could spend three, four days training on these subjects,” Justin Esquivel said.
Rick Rainbolt, the founder and president of Cobra Canna, and Esquivel, the CEO and geneticist for Green Luster Phenos, were the two trainers for the event.
“We cover a broad spectrum of everything that a cultivator needs to know today,” Esquivel said.
Rainbolt, who founded Canna Cobra and Hemp Geo Institute, has played a role in the legislative process in helping states become legal to grow industrial hemp and cannabis, in addition to consulting on the development of rules and regulation packages.
Esquivel has been an influencer and leader in the cannabis industry for 15 years. He previously served as the head grower and geneticist of an indoor commercial-scale cultivation operation back in 2012.
The first event like Saturday’s was held in Garden City in late 2023. The two experts said clients had just started to break ground in the state and interest in the cannabis field has grown since then.
‘To be able to bring this type of education to the community here in Long Island for me is just an incredible thing,” Esquivel said after spending time throughout his life with family in Suffolk County.
Dave Tubens, the founder and owner of Planet Nugg, and Dave Bavlnka of Kaleidoscope Collective also spoke on topics involving the cannabis business.
Farmingdale State College offers a certificate program in Cannabis Production and Management, which prepares graduates for emerging careers in the legalized cannabis industry.
The program first launched in 2021 with the passage of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, when New York joined other states with an expanded market for legalized cannabis and cannabis-related products.
Multiple cannabis stores and distributors have popped up throughout Long Island over the past few years. Nassau County does not have any legal distributors, but several stores are close by on Broadhollow Road. Farmingdale State College also falls within Suffolk County’s borders.
Farmingdale State College was initially founded in 1912 as an agricultural school.
The school offers the program online and requires students to complete 24 credit hours, which include three courses in cannabis science and production, three courses in the business of legalized cannabis, one course that explores the economics of the cannabis market, and one course that addresses medicinal and health-related issues related to legalized cannabis.
Farmingdale’s website said the students who complete the program are typically employees as dispensary managers, retail budtenders, crop cultivation technicians, marketing assistants, business managers, sales representatives and wellness guides.
