Since January 1, 2026, every Ohio licensee must run an employee training program under O.A.C. 1301:18-3-10, and everyone with a badge must complete foundational training before they begin work at the licensed business (the rule says "prior to commencing business"). Dispensary staff need extra training, including OARRS registration and medical dispensing topics, before they dispense. Ohio sets no minimum hours and does not approve courses, but you must review your materials every year, document every session, keep records for the current and previous calendar year, and, under DCC guidance, affirm at renewal that training is complete.
Ohio
Employee training program
Regulator: Ohio Division of Cannabis Control (Ohio Department of Commerce)
Buy one seat or a hundred. After checkout you assign seats to staff in your Learn Brands account, and certificates are stored there for inspections.
Employee training for licensed Ohio cannabis businesses under O.A.C. 1301:18-3-10, in effect since January 1, 2026. Covers Ohio cannabis law, badge rules, ID checks and refusals, privacy, security, and emergency procedures.
$59 a seat. Team pricing: 10 to 24 seats $49, 25 to 49 seats $39, 50+ seats $29.
What the training has to cover
Does the course need state approval?The DCC does not approve general training courses. Licensees may build their own content or use a qualified third party, and materials do not need prior Division review. Division approval is needed only for a third-party OSHA safety consultant and for a food safety certification provider that is not on the Ohio Department of Health list.
Records to keepDocument all training: who is responsible for the content and their qualifications, the materials given to each participant, who was trained, certificates of completion and training dates. DCC guidance asks licensees to use its Employee Training Record Form. Keep records for the current and preceding calendar year on the licensed premises. They are reviewed at certificate of operation and renewal inspections.
Why it matters at inspectionDCC guidance says each licensee must affirm on its renewal application that all required training is complete and that training materials were reviewed and updated as needed.
Free and state-run optionsOhio offers no free state-run general employee course. Some required pieces come from state agencies: PISGS online training through Ohio Homeland Security for security staff, and OARRS registration and training for dispensary staff.
How our courses fitOhio Cannabis Workforce Training (Learn Brands). Covers the Ohio law side of the foundational training in about four hours online: Ohio and federal cannabis law, keeping a badge active, ID checks and refusing a sale, patient privacy, security and incident reporting, emergency response and the 2026 law changes. It does not cover your written SOPs, Metrc use or inspection preparation, and it does not replace OARRS, PISGS, OSHA or food safety training. It is a Learn Brands course. DCC guidance says training materials do not need prior Division review.
Ohio training questionsFoundational training must be done before the employee commences business. Dispensary staff must also finish OARRS and the dispensing topics before dispensing cannabis.
The rule sets no minimum hours for general employee training. The only hour figure is the 30-hour OSHA course that one safety lead at a cultivator or processor may take.
No. DCC guidance says licensees may build their own content or use a qualified third party, and materials do not need prior Division review.
Ohio sets no fixed interval. Employees must regularly receive training, and the licensee must review and update its materials at least once a year.
Keep the trainer's name and qualifications, the materials used, who was trained, completion certificates and dates. Records must be kept for the current and preceding calendar year and are checked at renewal inspections.
DCC guidance says each licensee must affirm on its renewal application that all required training is complete and that training materials were reviewed and updated.
Rules: O.A.C. 1301:18-3-10 (Employee training and qualification requirements, effective 1/1/2026), O.A.C. 1301:18-3-14 (Recordkeeping), O.A.C. 1301:18-8-07 (Patient confidentiality).
Last checked 2026-10-24. This page summarizes public rules and is not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm with Ohio Division of Cannabis Control (Ohio Department of Commerce) before relying on it.
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