Cannabis deal will give Loyalist students professional experience

Loyalist is the only college in Canada that has a hands-on cannabis program. Much of the work is done in this lab. Photo by Thomas Goyer, QNet News

By Thomas Goyer 

BELLEVILLE – Loyalist College is giving students more opportunity in the field of cannabis with its new deal with a Napanee-based cannabis company.

Last Friday, Loyalist announced a partnership with Vivo Cannabis. The partnership will involve students in Loyalist’s cannabis applied science program working with Vivo employees and product, performing tests around extraction of cannabis oil  and developing new commercial products.

Loyalist is the only college in Canada that has a laboratory allowed to test and do research with cannabis.

Loyalist professor Kari Kramp, head of the  college’s cannabis program, says she is enthusiastic about the partnership.

“They are an incredible company and we are excited to be working with their team and to involve students on an innovative set of projects,” Kramp told QNet News Thursday.

Cannabis is a fast-growing sector that needs high-quality personnel, and this partnership can help students get experience, Kramp said.

“It is providing students the experience in the lab with industry to learn that skill set.”

Vivo’s vice president of product development, Jaipaul Massey-Singh, said he too is positive about the partnership.

“I think it’s a great opportunity (for students) to work in an emerging industry, and I’m really excited that there is a school out there that wants to take on that opportunity,” he said.

The partnership is for a year, but “we are prepared to do something over a multi-year basis,” Massey-Singh said.

Cannabis will become legal in Canada next Wednesday.