Today we’d like to introduce you to Dale Sky Jones.
What part of the city are you (or your business) in?
Oaksterdam University (OU) is based in Oakland, Calif., and we serve students across the U.S. and around the world, including many folks in Utah! In fact, we will be releasing our Utah Medical Cannabis Pharmacy Agent training soon, which tailors our industry-recognized education to the needs of Utah’s frontline workers. It covers the interaction between federal law and state laws, Utah’s specific laws and regulations, the effects of cannabis, how to navigate cannabis cultivars, cannabis products, and how to talk about cannabis with customers.
I am currently the Executive Chancellor and President of Oaksterdam University. OU offers superior and cutting-edge training for the industry by esteemed experts in cannabis business, science, medicine, law, and horticulture.
I also am a founding member of the Cannabis Media Council, which aims to end the stigma around cannabis consumption, as well as the National Cannabis Industry Association where I serve on the education committee. I am on the board of the Oaksterdam Nonprofit for Education, which provides scholarships and solidifies industry educational standards.
Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. You can include as little or as much detail as you’d like.
I worked in corporate America, and had lost faith in the management of my company while living in Seattle. I was head-hunted by an old friend to move to California and work with doctors who wanted to do medical cannabis recommendations. After rejecting the request — even making light of the idea for at least a couple of years, I finally relented to explore the kooky idea. I had just experienced ”another terrible decision” go down at corporate HQ and thought to myself, why not to go explore. The career ladder I climbed – what I was doing professionally – no longer held meaning.
Little did I know cannabis was the medicine that successfully treated my cyclic vomiting syndrome (that went undiagnosed most of my life) and cannabis policy reform was to become my calling and my moral imperative — to end the failures of prohibition and participate in the social justice revolution of my time. It started trying to help patients first. Legalizing for adult use took the target off the patient’s backs. I quickly realized as I researched and met folks that this was about all people. Not legalizing weed. Legalizing people. Freedom of choice and social justice are important to me, and issues that matter have precious resources tied up in persecuting people in the name of the War on Drugs. It has failed, and we will not “win” this war.
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
When we were working on Prop 19, a film crew showed up and kept asking if they could record the history that we were making. After telling them ‘no’ several times we finally let them start filming. They thought they had a good and fast documentary that would end at the election, however when we suffered a four-agency federal raid from the Obama Administration, the crew simply couldn’t find a good end to the movie and kept filming. They accidentally captured the arc of history and the battle of legalization from 2010 to today. The movie American Pot Story: Oaksterdam recently won an Audience Award at the Slamdance Film Festival in Utah and was featured in the Lighthouse International Film Festival and the Dances With Film Festival.
It is very strange, watching an interpretation of your story play on the big screen. It was shown at the historic Fox Theater in Oakland, Calif., a theater close to our hearts because Oaksterdam led the charge to revitalize it almost two decades ago. It’s even more exciting to realize this movie is a blueprint for how to end the failure of federal Prohibition. It’s the kind of movie one can show in churches, synagogues and mosques, as well as in Congress.
What is the name of your business or organization?
Please tell us more about your business or organization. What should we know? What do you do, what do you specialize in / what are you known for? What sets you apart from others? What are you most proud brand wise? What do you want our readers to know about your brand, offerings, services, etc?
We are the world’s first cannabis college and we are the trusted leaders in cannabis education and certification. OU is recognized worldwide for our leading-edge academics and creative curriculum. Our courses are crafted by entrepreneurs who shape the industry and advocates who launched the medical cannabis movement, offering students an education with historical context that no other school can match.
Oaksterdam certifications are respected by professionals in every segment of the cannabis industry. We just published The Budtender’s Guide: A Reference Manual for Dispensary Professionals and Cannabis Consumers, the most comprehensive book available to consult if you want to improve your knowledge of the modern cannabis industry and legalization movement.
It is the school’s first textbook, and the first of its kind. The 203-page training manual includes everything from cannabis history and policy to products, dosing and effects.
Next month, we are launching Oaksterdam’s Responsible Vendor Training specific to Utah. Utah is unique in that it is one of 10 states that require training for budtenders — or, as you call them, “pharmacy agents.” RVT localizes our Budtending Certification curriculum specifically to Utah regulations. Dispensary owners and operators can put their staff through our training and be assured they know how to serve consumers at the highest level while being compliant with state law.
How do you define success?
Oaksterdam Alumni are the secret to our success. Our students lead the way in their community and circles of influence that have already changed the world. Oaksterdam is staying at the forefront of professional and workforce development in a sustainable industry that includes a diversity of small businesses with a strong workforce. The goal continues to be descheduling, while creating a regulated and safe cannabis industry that brings wealth and health equity to communities disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs.
Our legacy as a leader in the cannabis industry has been due to unwavering dedication to ending the failed policy of Prohibition through education, communication and inclusion. Oaksterdam will continue to be the authority that provides technical assistance to workers, entrepreneurs, regulators and governments trying to improve outcomes for their family, business and communities. We believe cannabis is the exit strategy to the opioid crisis, hemp can improve ecological disasters, and every American citizen should have the freedom to grow this plant at home.
Pricing:
We keep our prices low and pack a lot of crucial information into our courses. We don’t just teach you what you want to know, we tell you what you need to know. From free electives to professional certification courses, check out the OU Catalog here: https://oaksterdamuniversity.com/courses/
Currently we are offering $100 off select self-paced certification courses.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://oaksterdamuniversity.com/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/oaksterdam
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oaksterdamuniversity/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/OaksterdamVideos
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OaksterdamUniversity/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/oaksterdam-university/
