Ganjier students experience guided marijuana sensory training during MJBizCon Week

LAS VEGAS – After completing 10 hours of video training and passing a proctored exam, students of the Ganjier Product Specialist program were rewarded Thursday afternoon with a unique experience at Planet 13: sensory training with certified Ganjiers.

The event included four stations for students to evaluate cannabis appearance, aroma, flavor and experience.

“Each of these stations have a certified Ganjier effectively walking students and attendees of the event through our assessment process and giving people hints and tips on things to look for as they assess and identify quality,” said Derek Gilman, managing director of Ganjier, a cannabis-training program based in Northern California.

The certified Ganjiers leading the training included Papa & Barkley co-founder Guy Rocourt and hash maker Lena Burns, who brought a hookah for students to use at the Experience Station.

Lori Hirsch, account executive at Hii Magazine, said she felt lucky to take part in the educational event.

“The different dimensions of taste, the terpenes and the complexities were enormous,” Hirsch added.

Ganjier at MJBizCon

Ganjier launched its Product Specialist program earlier this year and partnered with MJBizCon to offer students a unique experience that included:

• An online training program designed and taught by cannabis professionals.
• A three-day access pass to the MJBizCon expo hall.
• An in-person, 60-question, multiple-choice exam at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
• The interactive, off-site tasting and aroma training.
• For those who successfully complete the training and exam, a Friday graduation ceremony at the conference.

“The most common comment we hear is, ‘Wow, this went deeper and covered more ground than I expected,’” Gilman told MJBizDaily about the Ganjier Product Specialist curriculum.

Mike Jones of L&J Wellness echoed that sentiment, telling MJBizDaily, “This program is extremely insightful for those who have experience in the (cannabis) business and for those who are coming into the business.”

“In fact, one of my colleagues had not been involved in the business, but the program got him up to speed extremely quickly, and he passed the test with flying colors and is having meaningful conversations with people in the industry,” Jones added.

Preparation for cannabis sensory training

Gilman spent the earlier part of MJBizCon Week living out the dream of many attendees at the cannabis industry’s largest business event.

“I’m going to put my eyes and nose to each of these samples to select specifically what we’re going to use for each of these stations,” he said ahead of the sensory training.

Cultivation method is Gilman’s top criteria when selecting cannabis products for sensory training, and he specifically prefers organically cultivated cannabis.

“Regardless of whether it was grown under the sun or indoors under artificial light, organic-based nutrients are going to provide a cleaner, healthier experience where you’re getting to taste the cannabis and not get a headache from a pesticide or residual salt-based fertilizer,” Gilman said.

He also examined certificates of analysis for each of the products under consideration for sensory training, specifically looking at terpene content.

Cannabis Appearance Station

The first stop for sensory-training participants was the Appearance Station, where students examined marijuana flower and concentrates under a digital microscope.

Attendees looked for trichome coverage on the cannabis flower as well as any contaminants.

“Cannabis is sticky, and there’s lots of opportunities for insects or debris to get in there,” Gilman said.

When selecting the concentrates to review, Gilman looked for a variety of colors that would help students identify the impact of growing conditions have on the final product.

Extracts with a green hue, for example, indicate residual chlorophyll from the cultivation stage of product development.

Cannabis Aroma Station

Flower and concentrates also were under review at the Aroma Station, where students explored aromatic intensity and complexity.

Gilman said he looked for samples that were “intensely aromatic” but also neatly fit into each of the five aroma categories identified by the Ganjier assessment protocol: fruit, fuel, floral, earth and sweet.

The “sweet” category, he said, was added a few years ago, to identify dessert strains such as cookies, gelato and wedding cake.

Cannabis Flavor and Experience stations

At the Flavor Station, students received a pre-roll, courtesy of MJBiz, and the certified Ganjiers on-site offered guidance about what flavors to look for while evaluating whether samples were smooth or harsh.

“The real fun one,” Gilman said, “is the Experience Station.”

The hosted hookah bar was filled with rosin, and Burns – an artisan hash producer from Humboldt County, California – shared how consumption method impacts the marijuana experience.

Luna Stower, chief impact officer at  Ispire Technology, said the Ganjier program’s focused, critique-style approach helps demystify cannabis.

“To bring an experiential, cultural, academic element to it really completes the mission of why we’re doing what we’re doing,” said Stower, who spoke on two MJBizCon panels about leadership and marketing this week and completed the Ganjier Product Specialist program.

Ganjier certification in practice

One of the highlights of the sensory training event, Gilman said, was the ability for students to speak with certified Ganjiers about using the training to advance their cannabis careers.

“You’re able to speak to others and get their experience and find out what drives them,” Hirsch said of the aroma training experience.

“I’m just privileged and blessed to be a part of this community, and I really appreciate the opportunity.”

Dan Turbyfill, who became a certified Ganjier in 2021 and attended the Planet 13 event, agreed.

“These incredible professionals have such a shared, common mission in educating,” he said.

“It’s a really incredible experience.”

Going forward, MJBiz and Ganjier plan to continue their partnership and open more offerings beyond the Product Specialist program.

Graduation for students of the Ganjier Product Specialist program happens at 10 a.m. PT Friday at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

For more information, visit mjbizconference.com.

Brittany Wudrick contributed to this report.

Kate Lavin can be reached at kate.lavin@mjbizdaily.com.