FARMINGTON — Cannabis – Science, Legality, & Best Practices, is a six-part informational course series presented by professional teachers, licensed caregivers and industry experts.

These classes are offered to the community-at-large and are designed with a focus on science, best practices and with qualifying patients’ and healthcare providers’ ongoing educational and informational needs in mind. From scientific research and case studies to legal compliance issues and legalization questions to practical gardening knowledge and licensing information, this course series is offered to the general public as an educational service and learning opportunity. See below for registration and course information.

COURSE OFFERINGS

Cannabis as an Alternative Therapy – rationale for the therapeutic use of cannabis to treat and alleviate many symptoms and conditions will be presented using a summary of studies and articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Dosing recommendations as well as routes and methods of administration for various patients and types of qualifying conditions will be discussed. Doctors, nurses, patients and caregiver perspectives and resources will be offered.

Cannabis in the Law – an overview of basic federal and state laws, rules, regulations and guidelines regarding the use and/or sale of cannabis and cannabis-infused products will be presented. Current local legislative action will also be discussed. Guest speakers will be present to answer questions about Maine’s medical marijuana program as well as current legalization efforts, and how these programs may affect or interact with each other in the future.

Growing Cannabis – the indoor garden – a concise and pointed discussion about simple indoor garden room construction, environmental controls and plant care throughout the life cycle. Plant care, basic clone machine construction and strain propagation, harvesting and curing techniques and legal compliance issues will be discussed.

Growing Cannabis – the outdoor garden – outdoor cannabis gardening requires a different approach than indoor container gardening, and it also comes with a different host of legal compliance issues. Simple greenhouse design will be part of the discussion and some of Maine’s best outdoor organic cannabis gardeners will be on hand to answer questions and give advice on plant care and prolonging the growing season as well as soil recipes and amenditures.

Cannabis Troubleshooting and IPM – creating the ideal indoor and/or outdoor grow environment requires troubleshooting skills regarding plant deficiencies, environmental control and other issues as well as a good integrated pest management (IPM) strategy. Rules, regulations and best practices (including information about how to become a licensed applicator and comply with state caregiver regulations) will be presented by industry professionals.

Cannabis Extractions & Infused Products – the use of dried cannabis flowers is only one (optional) piece of a successful therapeutic regimen. Most patients require infused or extracted products in order to get the maximum symptom relief and therapeutic benefits. An overview of lab analysis techniques for cannabis flowers and infused/extracted products, examples of how to interpret test results, various methods for infusion and extraction as well as basic cannabinoid dosage calculations will be presented. An extensive Q & A/work session is also included.

Classes are held at 6:30 p.m. on the first and last Wednesdays of each month, starting April 29th and ending July 1st, at the Roberts Learning Center at the University of Maine at Farmington.

Cost to attend is $30 per class or $150 for the entire session. Space is limited. Please call 778-1181 or email [email protected] to pre-register.