Eastern Connecticut State University establishes new certification for cannabis businesses

Oct. 25—WILLIMANTIC — With the threat of climate change looming, it is important for farmers to incorporate sustainable practices into their operations.

As the cannabis industry continues to grow, Eastern Connecticut State University has established a new certification for cannabis businesses engaged in mindful behavior.

"It prompts businesses to think about what they could be doing," Eastern Connecticut State University Institute for Sustainability Interim Director Patricia Szczys said during a panel at Eastern Connecticut State University on Saturday.

The New England Sustainable Cannabis Certification was announced during the inaugural "New England Cannabis Research & Education Conference," which began Friday and ended Saturday.

The theme of the conference, held at the David G. Carter Science Building, was " Growing Plants, Helping People." Students from Connecticut and several other states attended the conference, as well as industry professionals. It was the first cannabis conference to be held in the state.

In addition to various panels, conference participants had the opportunity to take tours of Eastern's greenhouse as well as visit an exhibitor fair, during which numerous businesses presented information about their services. The greenhouse grows several varieties of cannabis, as well as many other plants.

The cannabis industry is still new to the state of Connecticut, which legalized medical marijuana and recreational use of marijuana in 2012.

Possession of cannabis among adults age 21 and

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over has been legal since July 1, 2021.

Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) Director Jason White, the featured lunch speaker, said his employer became the state's hemp regulatory testing laboratory in 2018.

The station also grows its own hemp, which it uses for research.

Currently, there are only a few laboratories in the state, including CAES, that are used for testing under the Adult Use Cannabis program.

"I know there are at least two new labs coming in," White said.

He said one problem with the testing for adult-use cannabis is that because it is a "federally-banned" substance, it can't be sent outof- state for testing.

Under Eastern's certification program, businesses have the option of taking an informal pledge or applying for a formal evaluation and certification from the Institute for Sustainability.

Some measures the businesses will take include: reducing solid waste, energy use and water consumption; buying locally; and measuring the well-being of employees.

Cannabis is an emerging field in academia.

Eastern's " Cannabis Cultivation and Chemistry" minor program, the first such program in the state, has been offered since last fall.

During a panel about the new certification, Eastern Assistant Biology Professor Bryan Connolly mentioned sustainable practices that the university is using in their greenhouses.

That includes the use of hydrogen cells, which generate a significant amount of power, and using UFO lights, which are LED lights.

In the future, staff plan to use coir, which is coconut fiber, instead of peat in the greenhouse.

"Peat is not sustainable because it takes so long to form," Connolly said.

Ryan Vassar, the owner of Mr. Nice Guy Cannabis Cultivation and Garden Supply Store in Wolcott, said petrochemical fertilizer is currently the "industry standard," and expressed hopes that in the future, more environmentally- friendly fertilizer will be more common.

Petrochemical fertilizer is produced using large quantities of petroleum and other fossil fuels. "It's sad to see," Vassar said.

For more information about the certification, call the Institute for Sustainability at 860-465-4324. Follow Michelle Warren on Twitter — @mwarrentc.