The CMCC training program is built around four primary goals:

• Patient safety and efficacy. Make sure every patient receives guidance grounded in current scientific research, so recommendations maximize therapeutic benefit while minimizing risk.

• High standards of consultation. Establish rigorous protocols for new users, dosage adjustments, and new methods of administration — all supported by clinical research and best practices.

• A robust, compliant curriculum. Continuously develop training approved by Minnesota's Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), covering pharmacology, delivery methods, and patient counseling.

• Professionalism and accountability. Instill professional ethics and accountability at every stage of training and certification.

Objectives are aligned to Minnesota Rules Chapter 9810 (especially part 9810.4100), Minnesota Statutes Chapter 342, and the Certified Medical Cannabis Consultant Training Program Submission Guidance. On completion, a CMCC will be able to:

• Provide patient-centered guidance. Advocate for the patient's best interests with unbiased, brand-neutral recommendations and clear professional boundaries.

• Operate safely and within scope. Identify prohibited actions, decline incentives tied to specific products, and enforce rules around free samples and on-site consumption.

• Explain pharmacological impacts and drug interactions. Describe how cannabis affects the body, identify common interacting medications, and direct patients back to their provider when appropriate.

• Discuss risks and benefits. Walk patients and caregivers through the trade-offs of various cannabis flower, cannabinoid products, and paraphernalia.

• Recommend the right product. Use a patient's qualifying condition, symptom profile, and prior cannabis experience to recommend appropriate products available at the dispensary.

• Differentiate methods of administration. Compare inhalation, oral, and topical methods on onset, duration, effects, and risk.

• Demonstrate proper use and administration. Provide step-by-step instructions, demonstrate paraphernalia use, and troubleshoot common issues.

• Teach safe handling and storage. Cover hygiene, product integrity, child-resistant packaging, and secure storage.

• Conduct compliant final-approval consultations. Identify the four conditions requiring a consultation, perform the essential elements of one, and explain the rules for valid remote consultations.

• Handle adverse events and protect patient privacy. Follow reporting protocols and adhere to HIPAA and applicable state regulations.

The self-paced training program includes:

• 38 medical cannabis self-study units, sequenced for understanding

• 38 unit knowledge assessments, with multiple attempts to earn a passing score

• 38 course unit feedback surveys

• 38 instructor feedback surveys

• 1 required final course feedback survey

• 1 required final instructor feedback survey

Units are listed in the suggested order of completion. Hour estimates appear after each title.

Foundations

• Unit 1: Introduction to the CMCC Training Program — Course Policy (1 hr)

• Unit 2: CMCC Training Program — Minnesota Rules (1 hr)

• Unit 3: CMCC Training Program — Fundamentals (1 hr)

• Unit 4: Overview of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) (1 hr)

• Unit 5: Principles of Cannabinoid Pharmacology (1 hr)

• Unit 6: Clinical Effects of Medical Cannabis — Physiological Effects and Side Effects (1 hr)

• Unit 7: Clinical Effects of Medical Cannabis — Special Patients of Interest (1 hr)

• Unit 8: Terpenes (1 hr)

• Unit 9: Methods of Administration (1 hr)

• Unit 10: Forms of Administration (1.5 hrs)

• Unit 11: Safe Handling and Storage of Cannabis (1 hr)

Each unit pairs clinical guidance with a corresponding case study.

• Unit 12: Chronic Pain & Cancer Pain (0.75 hr)

• Unit 13: PTSD & Anxiety (0.75 hr)

• Unit 14: Epilepsy (1 hr)

• Unit 15: Autism (0.75 hr)

• Unit 16: Nausea, Vomiting, and Cachexia in Cancer Patients (0.5 hr)

• Unit 17: Muscle Spasms (0.5 hr)

• Unit 18: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) & Crohn's Disease (0.75 hr)

• Unit 19: Palliative Care (0.5 hr)

• Unit 20: Insomnia (0.5 hr)

• Unit 21: Glaucoma (0.5 hr)

• Unit 22: Depression (0.5 hr)

• Unit 23: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) (0.5 hr)

• Unit 24: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) (0.5 hr)

• Unit 25: Psoriasis (0.5 hr)

• Unit 26: Alzheimer's Disease (0.5 hr)

• Unit 27: Parkinson's Disease (0.5 hr)

• Unit 28: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) (0.5 hr)

• Unit 29: Fibromyalgia (0.5 hr)

• Unit 30: Geriatrics, Children & Young Adults (0.5 hr)

• Unit 31: Cannabis Use Disorder & Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (0.5 hr)

• Unit 32: Selecting Flower Strains for Medical Patients (1 hr)

• Unit 33: Selection of Gear for Medical Patients (1 hr)

• Unit 34: Final Approval for Medical Cannabis Distribution (0.5 hr)

• Unit 35: Patient Consultation Part I — Introduction (1.5 hrs)

• Unit 36: Patient Consultation Part II — Patient Assessment and Care (1.5 hrs)

• Unit 37: Patient Consultation Part III — Patient Education (1.5 hrs)

• Unit 38: Patient Consultation Part IV — Follow-Up Consults (1 hr)

• Unit 39: Final Course Assessment & Feedback (Required for CMCC Certificate) (0.5 hr)

• The program is designed to be completed in the order shown above.

• Delivery is fully virtual and self-paced. Learners set their own timeline, but a 7-week pace is suggested:

    Week 1: Units 1–5

    Week 2: Units 6–9

    Week 3: Units 10–14

    Week 4: Units 15–22

    Week 5: Units 23–30

    Week 6: Units 31–35

    Week 7: Units 36–39

• For each unit, learners complete the presentation, the knowledge assessment, and the feedback survey before moving on.

• Some units include supplemental reading.

• Learners must score 80% or higher on each unit's knowledge assessment. Multiple attempts are allowed.

• An "incomplete" grade will be assessed if the learner does not obtain 80% on a unit. Learner will not be allowed to move on until passing the assessment by 80%. Learner will have 180 days (6 months) from registration to complete course, or until the course certification expires, whichever is sooner. At this time the learner would have to re-enroll and the course fee would be charged again.

• There is no comprehensive final exam — passing each unit at 80% or above is the standard.

• Learners who complete all units successfully earn their CMCC training certificate of completion.