Marijuana-Growing Course Coming to Atlantic City

Now that medical marijuana is legal in New Jersey, a California-based school is headed to Atlantic City to teach future cannabis entrepreneurs how to grow the stuff.

Oaksterdam University will visit Bally’s from August 23rd to 26th, marking the school’s first visit to the East Coast. $995 will get you four days of marijuana-growing seminars.

From the school’s brochure:

Whether you’ve been growing for years or you’re just starting out, learn to grow amazing cannabis from the experts at Oaksterdam University. Classes cover everything you need to know from seed to harvest.

You’ll learn about pests and pathogens, nutrtients [sic], mothers and cuttings, electrical safety, legal implications and so much more. Be prepared to take good notes because we are going to give you a ton of useful information.

Nearly half of all U.S. states have legalized medical marijuana, and more are expected to follow suit. Industry experts say medical marijuana could produce approximately $10 billion in annual sales throughout the country by 2018.

But New Jersey’s medical marijuana program hasn’t exactly been the model of success. The first dispensary opened in the state in 2012, but as of June of this year, only 2,342 patients had registered for medical marijuana in New Jersey. Previous estimates suggested that there would be as many as 50,000 once the law passed.

“We have a dysfunctional program, and I think it’s going to take some sort of ‘pot summit’ bringing together patients, doctors and legislators to really make this a success,” New Jersey Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, one of the law’s sponsors, told The Star-Ledger.