Name: Dave Tart
Location: Baltimore, MD
Ganjier Graduating Class: August, 2024
Favorite Cultivar(s): Diesel Wreck, Lemon Royale, Tarts
What was your position before joining the Ganjier Certification Program?
Marketing Manager
What is it now?
Sr. Marketing Manager
What was your primary motivation for joining the cannabis field?
To help and educate others. I knew that the plant had been so beneficial to me despite the stigma attached that I was willing to fight non-stop for the information to get out there. I always had a passion for cannabis, now I had a platform to spread that word.
Why did you choose the Ganjier Program?
There doesn’t seem to be anything in this industry with the level of detail and integrity attached to it quite like the Ganjier program. A well-rounded set of information on cannabis as a whole was desperately needed and once I got the initial taste of the Ganjier council (some I had heard of prior and held in high regard) and their level of expertise, I would have been a fool to not completely dedicate myself to learning from them.
What did you expect going into this course?
I expected a ton of new information – and that’s exactly what I got!
What did you find?
I have always had a passion for the science behind cannabis and cultivation and was excited for those sections but found myself entirely immersed in the coursework, regardless of the topic, from the first minute. Whether it was botany, law, history, consumption or customer protocol, the way that it was presented was in-depth and palatable all at the same time.
It also helped a ton that each teacher in the program was passionate about their portion.
Was there a game-changing “A-ha” moment for you during the course?
One?! There were game-changing moments for me throughout the entire course!
My biggest “a-ha” moment came at the in-person training directly from Swami during our trial runs of the SAP evaluation. His challenge for me to search deeper for the aroma and flavor comparisons (not simply “fruit” or “earth”, but “muddled raspberries” or “freshly watered mulch”) and the parallel to my own experiences felt like someone had switched a flood light on in a dimly lit room.
What skills/knowledge/philosophy have you been able to take away and apply to your cannabis career?
The shorter answer would be what part of the course have I NOT applied to my career. I don’t think there’s a single portion of the coursework and training that I’ve received that hasn’t directly translated into my career. I have the joy of handling a lot of the outward genetic education and passion building in my position currently and the Ganjier program has taken me many levels above where I was.
What impact did the Ganjier training have on your cannabis career?
It changed me all for the better. It took an outward passion and amplified it 100 times over. I feel more connected to the plant (and, in turn, my career) and that has allowed me to help foster that same connection with newcomers to the plant as well as seasoned veterans.
Also, THE NETWORKING. The amount of students and Certified Ganjiers that I have linked up with in the last few months is immeasurable. They are open and willing to share the free game, they are passionate about every facet of the plant/industry, and they are just a genuinely good group of human beings – all here for the same purpose.
To those considering the Ganjier course what advice would you give?
Get off that fence.
If you have a passion for cannabis – even just a bit – this course, the council, and the Ganjier community will ensure that it intensifies and strengthens immediately.
Getting my Ganjier Certification is without a doubt one of my proudest accomplishments in my 5+ years in the industry as well as in my adult life.
