In December, the team at Cresco Labs’ Social Equity and Educational Development (SEED) initiative gathered at the site of a formerly licensed dispensary in Chicago, near Wrigley Field. While the company had moved its neighborhood retail location up the street to a new 10,000-sq.-ft. space, the old spot was still on the books. A plan emerged.
The idea, unveiled on that December morning, was to open the Illinois Cannabis Education Center—to use the brick-and-mortar dispensary bones as a way of reeling in and training people who are interested in contributing to the industry.
Chima Enyia, executive vice president of SEED, points to the four pillars of this Cresco Labs initiative: education, entrepreneurship, workforce development and restorative justice. All four will form the support structure for the new platform.
“When we talk about, the Cannabis Education Center, we're not the first or the last to dive into social equity work,” he says. “There are plenty of community organizations who have been doing this work, who have been doing a phenomenal job at fighting this fight, and we really just wanted to lend our support in the effort in the ways that we can. We moved a dispensary from one location to another, and instead of getting rid of that dispensary facility, we decided to transition that into a full scale cannabis education center. Essentially, we have everything in it but the cannabis. Right now, the average person in Illinois can't walk into a dispensary and walk in behind the desk or behind the counter or go into the vault and see how those things operate.”
Once the Illinois Cannabis Education Center, that’s what the space will become: an immersive industry training ground. Students and community members interested in getting into the business will have a place to work out their training and technique behind the counter. Everything from customer engagement to inventory tracking (via BioTrack software) is on the table.
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“Being in that environment, you can see how state compliance and regulations need to look in a mock environment,” Enyia says. “You’ll go through the process of what an inspection looks for. So, what are [inspections]? When are they? How do you prepare? What things would an inspector come in looking for that you should be prepared to offer? Those can all be mock trainings.”
Cannabis, of course, shares some DNA with traditional retail outlets, like clothing or home goods. But in the broad scheme of things, it truly is a unique space. The regulatory requirements alone set it off from the rest of the commercial landscape in the U.S.—to say nothing of the complex science of the plant.
In the first quarter of 2022, Cresco Labs will first extend the platform to college and university partners: “specifically those that service the communities that have been impacted by the war on drugs, black and brown communities in all various communities in Chicagoland,” Enyia says.
As those colleges and universities continue to develop cannabis-related programming, the Illinois Cannabis Education Center will be a natural extension of that education.
From there, Cresco Labs plant to work with social equity applicants who scored lottery licenses in Illinois. Those entrants will be able to use the education center space to get up to speed with the state regulatory demands and the possibilities of what can be done in the dispensary environment.
Beyond that, the Illinois Cannabis Education Center will also be used to host grassroots advocacy events and to provide a space for social equity organizations working on specific issues within cannabis. The second floor will provide meeting rooms and offices for workshops and seminars.
More news is coming, for sure. When Cresco Labs begins bringing college and university students to the Illinois Cannabis Education Center, the industry will doubtlessly take stock of the impact that a space like this can provide.
Melissa Schiller
Posted by Tony Lange
Eric Sandy
