TeCA Cert Study Guide Lesson 1 - rev 3-27-2021

certificate study guide

Introduction
Lesson 1

Getting Started

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Inside this Study Guide: 3
4
Welcome 4
5
TeCA’s Mission Statement 7
9
Our Objective as a Certifying 10
11
TeCA’s eLearning certificate Four Core Domains 12
13
What You’ll Learn and Why
Domain 1: Applied Cannabis Science and Product 14
Knowledge
Domain 2: Customer Assessment and Consultation

Domain 3: Business Operations and Professionalism
Domain 4: Business Compliance and Regulation
BONUS SECTION – Career Preparation and
Placement
Contributors

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Welcome!

By choosing the eLearn Cannabis Academy, or TeCA (pronounced Tee-Kuh), you have taken
the first step toward turning your passion into a profitable and fulfilling profession. Joining
the vanguard of the global legalized cannabis industry as a TeCA Cannabis Dispensary Tech-
nician (CDT), shows that you already understand the inevitability that today’s budtenders
must transform into trained and qualified CDT’s to compete and succeed as part of the me-
teoric growth of the legalized cannabis industry.
The cannabis and CBD industries are currently underserved markets in need of a highly fo-
cused and professional online training program. With CBD legal in all 50 states, and the
number of states legalizing cannabis continuing to grow at a rapid pace, this industry is be-
coming increasingly competitive. Because of this – professionalism, consistency, and stand-
ardization in the cannabis and CBD industries, through better training and accreditation,

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will ensure entry-level professionals the leverage required to stand out
when seeking employment.

Congratulations! - by registering for this certificate training, you have tak-
en the first step to proving that you are the employee the industry is
seeking.

TeCA’s Mission Statement:

Our objective is to provide or facilitate accredited online training, contin-
ued training, and proctored exams targeting workers, prosumers, and
organizations in the currently underserved cannabis and CBD industries
with The eLearn Cannabis Academy.

Our Objective as a Certifying
Organization

As a TeCA CDT candidate, you are about to equip yourself with the
knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to become one of the best-
qualified and most sought-after dispensary technicians in the industry.
TeCA has enlisted top cannabis industry professionals, as well as leaders
in eLearning architecture, to deliver a training experience that will pro-
vide you the skill set required by the flourishing cannabis industry.

You will be introduced to TeCA, TeCA’s Four (4) Core Domains, a Bonus
Section, and an overview of the training content and the strategies and
rationale behind the lessons required to complete and become a TeCA
Cannabis Dispensary Technician (CDT). You will gain insight on why the
lessons maximize your chances of obtaining employment in the cannabis
industry. You will also learn the foundations of online learning.

Each lesson is designed to be completed in approximately 15 to 20
minutes. Your effort will be rewarded through a program designed to
help you easily learn, digest, and internalize both the product and busi-
ness knowledge industry professionals demand when hiring CDTs in to-

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day’s increasingly competitive cannabis industry.
As the cannabis and CBD industries grow, simply being passionate about the product is no
longer enough to obtain a position in the industry. You will find that the industry’s most re-
spected and effective material is written and designed by eLearning professionals, industry
experts, as well as the industry professionals charged with recruiting qualified candidates
that they believe can best help the industry succeed, prosper, and grow.

TeCA’s eLearning certificate program is divided
into Four Core Domains that include:

1. Applied Cannabis Science and Product Knowledge
2. Customer Assessment and Consultation
3. Business Operations and Professionalism
4. Compliance Regulation
Also included is a Bonus Section:
• Career Preparation and Placement
Each lesson and domain is specifically designed to build on the previous one to best prepare
you to successfully pass the comprehensive exam. The Four Core Domains will prepare you
to become a qualified, sought-after dispensary employee.

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These Four Core Domains have made TeCA the Gold Standard of cannabis
training. Mastery of these domains is what makes TeCA CDT candidates the
most qualified and desirable in the industry.

Introduction

Lesson 1 - Getting Started
Lesson 2 - The State of the Industry

Domain 1 – Applied Cannabis Science and Product
Knowledge

Lesson 3 - Introduction to Cannabis Science
Lesson 4 - What is Cannabis
Lesson 5 - Cannabis History
Lesson 6 - Cannabinoids and Terpenes
Lesson 7 - Cannabis Product Categories
Lesson 8 - Introduction to the Endocannabinoid System

Domain 2 – Customer Assessment and
Consultation

Lesson 9 - Introduction to the Guest Experience
Lesson 10 - Patient and Customer Assessment Strategies
Lesson 11 - Introduction to MMJ Cards and Approved Medical Condi-
tions
Lesson 12 - Recommendation Vs. Prescription
Lesson 13 - Responsible Dosage Direction and Tolerance Education

Domain 3 – Business Operations and
Professionalism

Lesson 14 - Introduction to the Day in the Life Overview
Lesson 15 - Opening and Closing Procedures
Lesson 16 - ID Verification Best Practices

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Lesson 17 - Inventory Management & Loss Prevention
Lesson 18 - Cash Management
Lesson 19 - POS System Basics
Lesson 20 - Social Media
Lesson 21 - Professional Development & Career Growth Opportunities
Lesson 22 - Trending Business Operations & Best Practices
Lesson 23 - Employee Rights
Lesson 24 - Misconceptions + Myths About Working in the Industry

Domain 4 – Compliance and Regulation

Lesson 25 - Cannabis Compliance

Bonus Section – Career Preparation and Placement

Lesson 26 - Step 1 Building and Aligning your Resume for the Industry
Lesson 27 - Step 2 Application Strategies and Tracking
Lesson 28 - Step 3 Interviewing Skills and Strategies

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Lesson 29 - Step 4 Negotiating and Accepting a Position as a Dispensary Technician

What You’ll Learn and Why

What distinguishes TeCA from the rest of the competition are TeCA’s Three Pillars of Success:
• Alignment
• Focus
• Relevancy

In concert with TeCA’s Four Core Domains, the Three Pillars of Success combine to form this in-
dustry-leading certificate program.

Alignment – TeCA’s successful approach to building this certificate program aligns the ex-

pertise and knowledge of the industry’s top thought leaders, hiring professionals and eLearning
architects.

Focus – the best information is worthless if you can’t retain and apply it. TeCA has transformed

the industry by creating a unique program that employs the eLearning industry’s top methodolo-
gies and strategies designed and proven to insure retention.

Relevancy – All of TeCA’s training material is based on the expertise, experience, and re-

search by the industry’s leading experts and professionals. You can be confident that all content is
always current, relevant, and deemed necessary by the industry’s most experienced hiring man-

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agers. You will never be given information or asked to learn anything
that does not advance or contribute to your goal of becoming em-
ployed as a highly qualified CDT.

Whether you are already working in a dispensary or simply looking for
a new career, mastery of TeCA’s Four Core Domains will equip you
with the knowledge, tools, and expertise to ensure your successful
entry into the flourishing cannabis and CBD industries. More im-
portantly, these Four Core Domains are the domains determined by
industry professionals as the most essential and desirable when hiring
entry-level candidates into the industry.

Domain 1: Applied Cannabis Science
and Product Knowledge

In order to accurately and adequately assess and assist customers, it is
imperative to fully understand the products and how each works in
the body.

Domain 1:

Lays a firm foundation
that will enable you to
become an expert in
the history and science
of cannabis and CBD.

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Provides you with the most relevant cannabis science and product knowledge necessary to successfully
become an entry-level dispensary technician. Learn the science of cannabis, its history, specific
knowledge about cannabinoids/terpenes. Gives essential knowledge of the common cannabis product
categories supplied and sold.
Mastery of Domain 1 will set you apart from the competition by enabling you to be confident, expert,
and authoritative when addressing client’s needs.

Domain 2: Customer Assessment and Consultation

In Domain 2 you will learn how to apply the knowledge you obtained in Domain 1 so you can best serve
the specific needs of individual customers.

Domain 2:

• Provides a step-by-step process to assess the needs of various customer types.
• Learn to provide safe and effective medication and dosage recommendations.

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• Be introduced to processes required to deliver a memorable and effective customer experi-
ence within the dispensary.

Upon completing lessons in Domain 2, you will have a thorough understanding of the ideal guest
experience including customer assessment strategies, the ability to educate, as well as align cus-
tomer needs with specific product types and dosage recommendations.

Domain 3: Business Operations and Professionalism

Legalized cannabis is one of the most competitive and fastest growing industries in the world.
Though passion for the product is essential, in order to be truly effective, a Cannabis Dispensary
Technician must be well-versed in the business fundamentals of the industry.
Designed by experts from both the retail and grow sides of the business, TeCA’s Business Opera-
tions and Professionalism domain helps ensure success by demonstrating how to apply your
knowledge in the most professional way possible.

Domain 3:

Provides you with a clear outline of the day-to-day operations of a successful dispensary.

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Includes an overview of essential business and professional skills required of effective dispensary
technicians.
Operations vary by dispensary, so Domain 3 focuses solely on skills widely adopted and accepted
across the cannabis and CBD industry.
By equipping yourself with a foundation of the general business operations and professional re-
quirements demanded by successful dispensaries, you will learn the essential skills required for
the industry, dispensary, and Cannabis Dispensary Technician to succeed, prosper, and grow.

Domain 4: Business Compliance and Regulation

You will develop a global understanding of cannabis compliance and regulation and how it affects
you as a professional. Within this domain, you will be provided insight to seek and maintain an
understanding of the ever-changing regulations that may affect your customers as well as the in-
dustry.

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The continuing changes in compliance and regulation demand today’s CDT have the skills and
knowledge acquired through this domain. These lessons are designed to equip you with the tools
and skills necessary to ensure you stay current with the various levels of regulation, the differ-
ences between state regulations, and how they affect dispensaries and their employees.

BONUS SECTION – Career Preparation and
Placement

This bonus section provides the information, tools, and skills necessary as a Cannabis Dispensary
Technician to present yourself, your knowledge, and your skills in the best light to ensure you ob-
tain the position you seek upon completing this training and obtaining your Certificate of Comple-
tion.
The Career Preparation and Placement section includes resources and a step-by-step process to
help you in applying for your desired position, tracking your application, and interviewing in this
highly competitive field. Tools will include, but are not restricted to templates, trackers, and ex-
amples to best ensure you maximize your abilities to obtain the employment you seek in a timely

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fashion.

TeCA’s approach to applying and obtaining employment in the cannabis industry has been de-
signed by industry hiring professionals to benefit candidates who lack specific industry experience
and the knowledge essential to stand out from others.

The material in this training is continually updated with the most accurate and compliant infor-
mation available. You will learn the practical and ethical skills needed to become a great Cannabis
Dispensary Technician and CBD expert. After successfully passing TeCA’s comprehensive exam,
you will be able to:

• Explain the physiological and psychological effects of cannabis and CBD use to non-
technical audiences

• Assess a client’s needs to provide cannabis and CBD product recommendations that help
alleviate common disease symptoms

• Demonstrate the skills required to contribute to a
high-functioning dispensary operation

• Interpret current cannabis regulations and how
they affect the dispensary technician

Contributors

What distinguishes TeCA from other cannabis training is
the depth and breadth of knowledge and experience
TeCA’s authors, partners, and peer reviewers bring to the table. Comprised of industry leaders
from eLearning and education, and professionals from every segment of the booming cannabis
and CBD industries, TeCA has incorporated the best thinking standards, and practices from each
of their respected fields, areas of expertise and competencies.

No one else can offer the training you’ve just been introduced to because no one else has the
team, expertise, and proven eLearning methodologies or information that TeCA does. The end-
result is an industry-leading training unparalleled in its ability to prepare candidates for a fulfilling,
profitable, and rewarding career as a Cannabis Dispensary Technician.

You’re getting the best in the business from the best in the business.

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