In 2017 UConn horticulture professor Gerald Berkowitz and a group of 40 students toured the facilities of Curaleaf, one of Connecticut’s four medical marijuana producers, and picked up an interesting tidbit.
“The CEO of the company was saying that he could never find any [job applicants] that had any knowledge of cannabis horticulture,” Berkowitz said. “In fact, there were no programs or anything in the country to address that.”
About two years later, Berkowitz established UConn’s first cannabis horticulture course through the university’s School of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The course was immediately popular with students, some of whom have parlayed that education into internships and jobs with cannabis companies.
Green Valley Glass seeks to educate the masses on CBD, medical marijuana
COLCHESTER – For Kyle Provencher, his mom was the inspiration behind opening an upscale, cannabidiol wellness products and accessories store nearly two years ago in Putnam.
“My mother became very sick and was given a Medical Marijuana Rx to help with her conditions,” said Provencher, the majority owner of Green Valley Glass LLC.
“I remember she always felt uncomfortable walking into traditional locations, so we set out to provide a place anyone would feel comfortable shopping or just asking questions.”
Provencher and his business partners, who created the company in 2019, expanded their retail operations to a second store in Colchester. Green Valley Glass of Colchester, located at 44 Main Street, opens to the public Wednesday.