Elective
Product Expertise
The deep-science course for staff who want to operate at connoisseur level: the budtenders customers seek out by name, the buyers who can defend a SKU on chemistry, the managers running product training. The curriculum starts with cannabis taxonomy and biosynthesis at the molecular level, then walks pharmacology across THC, CBD, the minor cannabinoids (CBG, CBN, CBC, THCV), and the synthetic and semi-synthetic compounds (Delta-8, HHC, THCP) the gray market keeps generating. The terpene arc covers dominant and minor terpenes, evidence-based entourage-effect reasoning, and the literacy to read a COA like a lab scientist. Consumption pharmacology, extraction methods compared, format-specific product knowledge, and hemp-derived regulatory reality close the course. The capstone: defend a recommendation against a pharmacist.
22 lessons9.2 hours0 section quizzes7 chapters
Begin courseFree during early access
What you'll master
Outcomes you can defend.
- Reason about THC, CBD, and minor cannabinoids at the receptor and metabolism level
- Identify dominant and minor terpenes by smell and explain their evidence-based effects
- Read a COA at lab-scientist depth (potency math, contaminants, residual solvents, microbials)
- Compare extraction methods (CO2, BHO, rosin, water hash, distillate) and recommend the right concentrate for any customer
- Counsel customers on inhalation, ingestion, and sublingual onset, peak, duration, and bioavailability
- Defend a cannabinoid or terpene recommendation against a pharmacist or skeptical customer
Curriculum
The full syllabus.
Every lesson, in the order we recommend you take them. Click any lesson to begin. Your progress saves automatically.
Part 01
4 lessons • 83 minPlant Science
- 01Cannabis Taxonomy, Genetics, and Chemovar ClassificationHow to talk about cannabis the way the plant actually behaves: botanical lineage, indica/sativa as effect-family shorthand, the Type I/II/III chemotype framework, and how chemovar plus terpene profile predict experience better than any strain name on the jar.21 min
- 02Cannabis Biosynthesis: How the Plant Makes CannabinoidsThe full biosynthetic pathway from olivetolic acid and geranyl pyrophosphate through CBGa, the three-enzyme fork that fixes a cultivar's chemotype, and the post-harvest reactions (decarboxylation, oxidation, isomerization) that turn what the plant made into what the customer consumes.21 min
- 03Cultivation Methods and Their Product ImpactHow indoor, greenhouse, outdoor, and living-soil cultivation drive quality perception, wholesale pricing, and shelf positioning, plus how to read the post-harvest terminology that vendors use to signal where a flower belongs on the menu.21 min
- 04Quality Indicators: Trichomes, Curing, Moisture, and the Sensory ExamHow to grade flower with the rigor of a buyer at the receiving desk: trichome read, cure quality, the moisture and water-activity numbers that separate shelf-safe from mold-risk, and a 90-second sensory exam that catches the failures a COA does not.20 min
Part 02
4 lessons • 97 minCannabinoid Pharmacology
- 05THC: Receptor Binding, Metabolism, and PharmacologyHow delta-9-THC actually works in the body: partial agonism at CB1, off-target activity at TRPV1 and GPR55, first-pass conversion to 11-hydroxy-THC, the CYP enzyme family that controls dosing variability, and why the same 10 mg edible hits two customers completely differently. Note: as of April 22, 2026, state-licensed medical cannabis is Schedule III under federal law; adult-use cannabis remains Schedule I.23 min
- 06CBD: Mechanism, Anti-Anxiolytic and Anti-Inflammatory PathwaysHow cannabidiol actually works at the receptor level, why its anxiolytic and anti-inflammatory effects come from at least four parallel pathways rather than CB1 binding, and the practical implications for ratio products, drug interactions, and consumer counseling on the floor.22 min
- 07Minor Cannabinoids: CBG, CBN, CBC, THCV - Emerging ScienceHow to talk about CBG, CBN, CBC, and THCV with clinical honesty rather than marketing copy: where each cannabinoid actually comes from, what the evidence supports, where the industry overreaches, and how to merchandise the four-minor shelf without making medical claims.21 min
- 08Synthetic and Semi-Synthetic Cannabinoids: Delta-8, HHC, THCPHow to read, talk about, and triage the hemp-derived cannabinoid menu (Delta-8, Delta-10, HHC, THCP, THC-O) like an operator who understands the chemistry, the federal policy status as of April 2026 (state-licensed medical cannabis now Schedule III; adult-use and hemp-derived intoxicants remain Schedule I pending rescheduling hearing June 29 2026), and the practical questions a customer is actually asking.31 min
Part 03
3 lessons • 73 minTerpenes and the Entourage Effect
- 09Myrcene, Limonene, Pinene: The Dominant Terpenes and What They DoWorking fluency in the three terpenes that drive most retail consults: how to spot them on a COA, the aromas and effect families they predict, the synergies that matter, and how to talk about them to a customer without overclaiming.24 min
- 10The Minor Terpenes: Linalool, Caryophyllene, Humulene, TerpinoleneHow four high-signal terpenes outside the myrcene-limonene-pinene mainstream actually shape a customer's experience: caryophyllene's CB2 receptor activity, linalool's lavender-grade calm, humulene's anti-munchies edge, and terpinolene's contradictory uplift profile, with the COA reading and customer-matching moves that make each one usable on the floor.23 min
- 11The Entourage Effect: What the Evidence Actually SaysAn honest pharmacological audit of the entourage effect: which interactions are clinically established, which are preclinical theory, which are pure marketing, and how to talk about full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, isolate, distillate, and live resin without overselling the science.26 min
Part 04
3 lessons • 61 minConsumption Pharmacology
- 12Inhalation Pharmacology: Onset, Peak, Duration, BioavailabilityWhy inhaled cannabis hits in seconds, why vaping pulls roughly twice the bioavailability of combustion, and how onset, peak, and duration windows translate into the dosing scripts and hardware recommendations that actually keep customers comfortable.23 min
- 13Ingestion: The First-Pass Metabolism Problem and Edibles DosingWhy an oral 10mg gummy hits qualitatively different than a 10mg inhaled dose, how 11-hydroxy-THC reshapes the experience, and the dosing tiers, onset windows, and counseling scripts that keep first-time edible customers from ending up on the bathroom floor.20 min
- 14Sublingual, Topical, Suppository: The Alternative RoutesHow sublinguals, topicals, transdermals, and suppositories actually work pharmacokinetically, where they fit in a real customer conversation, and the high-stakes distinctions (topical vs transdermal, sublingual vs swallowed) that budtenders get wrong every week.18 min
Part 05
4 lessons • 107 minFormat Mastery
- 15Flower: From Plant to Packaged SKUHow a living cannabis plant becomes the eighth in the customer's hand, including the cultivation methods that drive shelf positioning, the cure decisions that decide whether the flower smokes smooth or scratchy, the SKU formats that dominate the shelf, and the receiving-desk read that catches the failures before they hit the floor.26 min
- 16Extraction Methods Compared: CO2, BHO, Rosin, Water Hash, DistillateHow the five concentrate production paths actually differ at the molecule level, what each one produces in the case, and how to position them on a menu so a customer asking for live rosin doesn't walk out with distillate by mistake. Updated to reflect April 2026 federal policy changes affecting cannabis scheduling and tax treatment.27 min
- 17Vape Hardware and Cart TechnologyHow 510-thread carts, batteries, atomizers, and all-in-one disposables actually work, what separates premium hardware from the bottom of the case, and how to walk a customer from a $20 disposable to a $90 live-rosin cart without losing the sale either direction.26 min
- 18Edibles Formulation: Gummies, Chocolates, Beverages, TincturesHow a milligram of THC in an edible behaves differently than the same milligram in a vape, what each format (gummy, chocolate, beverage, tincture) actually delivers in the body, and the operator-grade dosing, receiving, and floor-coaching habits that keep customers out of the panic-call category.28 min
Part 06
3 lessons • 98 minCOA Literacy and Hemp
- 19The Ten Testing Panels and What They MeanHow to read a Certificate of Analysis with the rigor of a lab scientist: what each of the ten panels actually tests, where products typically fail, what numbers should make you pull a SKU off the shelf, and how to translate a stack of COA pages into a credible answer for a customer or a buyer.29 min
- 20Reading a COA: Potency Math, Pesticides, Heavy Metals, MicrobialsHow to read a Certificate of Analysis with the rigor of a lab scientist, including the potency math behind every label number, the safety panels that decide pass-or-fail, and the recurring tricks that vendors use to dress up marginal product.36 min
- 21Hemp-Derived Cannabinoids: Science, Regulation, Market RealityHow the entire intoxicating-hemp market got built on three drafting wedges in the 2018 Farm Bill, what P.L. 119-37 changes on November 12 2026, and how to think about hemp as a market-scale competitor rather than a sideshow.33 min
Ready when you are
Product Expertise starts with one lesson.
Cannabis Taxonomy, Genetics, and Chemovar Classification, 21 minutes. Pick it up here whenever you have time.
Start lesson 1