For immediate release

Portland, Or.

January 13, 2021

Portland-based workforce training company upLVL announced today the availability of a full suite of retail cannabis compliance training for the State of Oregon. On the Level offers concise video-based courses capped off with a master test and certification. Free elements of this course can be previewed here.

upLVL’s team of cannabis industry, cannabis compliance, and elearning experts, in conjunction with a group of licensed cannabis retailers, identified the need for efficient and engaging workforce training and certification in the nascent industry. On the Level is the first available certification course of its type. Similar courses for other license types will be launched in the coming months.

Andy Shelley, upLVL’s Director of Compliance, and a former OLCC cannabis inspector, described the courses: “Our “On the Level” courses are finely tuned to deliver just the right level of information you and your employees need to keep your business legal and compliant with Oregon laws. We’ve distilled my expertise and experience into courses and certifications that are fast-paced and delivered in small chunks for maximum learner engagement.

“Not only does our new course curriculum specifically focus on retail regulations for budtenders, our platform also provides you with updates, brand training and reporting. Our reports provide verification that you have trained and certified your staff in Oregon Cannabis Compliance law.”

Here’s an outline of the On the Level curriculum:

  • Top Ten Rules for Retail Cannabis: Start with the basic rules anyone new to the industry should understand, with modules covering OLCC licenses and worker permits, retail employee and visitor management, intro level retail inventory control, and basic retail security.
  • Checking IDs and Intoxication: Learn the rules on who can buy marijuana products, which types of IDs are valid, and how to determine if a customer is visibly intoxicated (based on OLCC guidelines).
  • Retail Product Intake: Learn the basic rules related to how you may (and may not) intake marijuana products from your vendors. This course covers Vendors and Manifests, Receiving Deliveries and Inventory Control and Packaging.
  • Retailer and Dispensary Premises: Learn the physical and operational rules dispensaries and retailers are required to follow. This course covers Physical Store Regulations, General Operational Store Regulations, and Customer-Related Operational Store Regulations.
  • Selling Marijuana Products: Learn the rules on how marijuana products can be sold and marketed. For example, you may already know that the package cap for edibles is 50 mg THC, but did you also know that, per OLCC rules, it’s illegal to do a buy-one-get-one-free deal? Our flagship course will outline what you need to know to be compliant in retail Cannabis sales, including modules on What Can’t I Sell?, Prohibited Sales Activities, Refusing to Sell to a Customer, Discounting, and Daily Sales Limits.
  • What to expect during an OLCC inspection: Check out the basics about what an OLCC Inspector will do during a compliance inspection – these inspections occur during normal business hours and may be random or initiated by an employee, competitor, or customer complaint.

Along with training and certification, On the Level comes via a yearly subscription to upLVL, so in addition to the coursework, subscribers also get:

  • Timely Oregon regulation update notifications and training content
  • Free Business Skills training on Sales and Customer Service Essentials
  • Free monthly access to a revolving list of additional Business Skills courses in 20 categories
  • Free Brand and Product Training provided by our new partner Get Higher Education,
  • Monthly release of new material in all spheres of training (Compliance, Brand, and Business Skills)
  • The opportunity to create a profile and network with fellow industry professionals via message boards, live events, and other social elements
  • An ad-free, distraction-free experience to keep the focus on training and certification

A yearly upLVL subscription is $79 per user and includes all that is mentioned above, plus new courses and certifications as we bring them aboard. There are discounts for dispensaries with 5 or more subscribers. Managers interested in signing up staff can contact upLVL through info@uplvl.net to get their whole operation subscribed.

upLVL also offers a free subset of introductory course material here: Introductory Compliance Training course material

What front line cannabis retailers are saying about On the Level

Great for beginners and a good refresher for OG’s in the industry!
-Marlena Z.

The information you provided was great and easy to understand!
-Guadalupe R.

Thank you for this course work – I’ve learned new things that I can implement in my work.
-Emily C.

upLVL’s mission is to elevate the cannabis industry and inspire confidence in its workers. We look forward to seeing all our users gain a better understanding of the marijuana industry and become more confident as certified experts. upLVL will continue to work on bringing other relevant learning experience and certifications to the cannabis space, including compliance for other license types and other states.

Get On the Level Certified – the only certification in Oregon Retail Cannabis Compliance!

Mark Oronzio
CEO and Co-Founder
mark@uplvl.net