5.1 As the cannabis and hemp industries expand and their products become more available as consumable products, the following requirements and expectations within the industry become increasingly significant (Practice E2659, Terminology E2708), requiring:

5.1.1 The safety, reliability, and quality of its products;

5.1.2 Worker safety;

5.1.3 Environmental sustainability;

5.1.4 Regulatory compliance;

5.1.5 The need for different levels of qualified professionals; and

5.1.6 Development of qualified training and certificate programs.

5.2 The primary objectives of this guide are as follows:

5.2.1 Provide a general overview of the BoK required for the professions listed in Section 6 (Table 1); and

5.2.2 Provide recommendations to form the foundation for training and subsequent recognition/certificate systems that enable consumers, employers, organizational management, government agencies, and others who rely upon a skilled workforce to distinguish between qualified and non-qualified workers.

5.2.3 Recommend requirements that agencies can use to develop and document the specific criteria used for training or certificate programs.

5.3 Users of this guide shall document deviations from the recommended requirements to inform their clients of the criteria applied in either the training or the certificate programs offered. As the cannabis and hemp industries mature, this guide will be updated to reflect current thinking and requirements.

5.4 The Bok elements are applicable to certificate Programs, while the BoK, experiential and educational elements are applicable to certification process requirements.