Illinois Cannabis Programs
Accredited: Green CulturED is authorized by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) to provide our recognized Responsible Vendor Certification through a partnership with Elevated Education who is an approved Responsible Vendor Training Organization within the state of Illinois.
Cannabis in Illinois is legal for both medical-use and recreational adult-use. The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act provide for the controlled legalization of adult-use cannabis in Illinois. It is the IDFPR that is charged with implementing and administrating aspects of the program, including the licensing and oversight of dispensing organizations, dispensary agents, and agent education providers.
Every cannabis dispensary owner, manager, employee, and agent involved in the handling or sale of cannabis or cannabis-infused products, that are employed by an adult-use dispensing organization or medical cannabis dispensing organization in Illinois must take our two (2) hour Responsible Vendor Certification that meets the mandated responsible dispensing organization agent training requirements.

Micro-Learning Format
- Video: Engaging Training
- Resource: eBook Handout
- Assessment: Quiz Activity
- Display: Certificate & Badge
Additionally, all agents, including all principal officers, must receive training within ninety (90) days before or after the first day of employment at a dispensary, whichever is later. Training that is received by agents outside of the ninety (90) day window will not meet the minimum requirements that is enforced by the IDFPR and Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act.
Our Responsible Vendor Certification meets the minimum requirement of two (2) hours in training time as part of the eight (8) total hours of training that must be completed annually. So, in addition to our Responsible Vendor Certification, dispensing organizations must ensure that agents receive an additional six (6) hours of training to meet their annual requirements.
Additional Training Requirements
Additional annual training is required as part of the eight (8) hours prescribed by the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act:
- How to Effectively Operate the Point-of-Sale (POS) System & State Verification Platform
- Proper Inventory Handling & Cannabis Product Tracking
- Specific Uses of Cannabis or Cannabis-Infused Products
- Regulatory Inspection Preparedness Information & Law Enforcement Interaction
- Legal Requirements Awareness to Maintain Agent Status
Frequently Asked Questions
Find Questions Frequently Asked & Answers Provided for Informational Purposes ONLY By the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR).
Application Process. Applicants must complete attestation, submit a photo, proof of residence, government identification, and you will provide disposition forms for previous criminal offenses to Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).
Locate a job first... a person must be hired by a dispensing organization before they can apply for an agent identification card for a an adult-use or medical cannabis dispensing organization with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).
It's a process... according to the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, applicants for an Adult-Use Cannabis Dispensing Agent Identification Card must have a fingerprint-based criminal history background check. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) complies with regulations concerning a criminal background check. It requires fingerprint vendors to confirm the identity of the individual seeking to be fingerprinted.
This identity verification form must be completed for any individuals applying for consideration for licensure in Illinois. The out-of-state fingerprint vendor or Illinois live scan vendor chosen to take the out-of-state resident’s fingerprints must be completed as written confirmation that a valid government issued driver’s license or state Identification (ID) was presented and that the ID provided belongs to the individual person being fingerprinted.
All owners, managers, employees, and agents... involved in the handling or sale of cannabis or any cannabis-infused products employed by an adult-use dispensing organization or medical dispensing organization as required by the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act.
Within ninety (90) days... the training must be completed before or after the first day of employment at a dispensary, whichever is later. Training received outside of the ninety (90) day window will not meet the training required by the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act.
Annually. The two (2) hour Responsible Vendor training must be completed annually as part of the eight (8) hours of training mandated by the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act each year.
A wide variety of topics... the Responsible Vendor training must include the following topics:
- Cannabis Use Health & Safety Concerns
- Driving Under the Influence Laws & Regulations
- Minor Sales Prohibitions
- All Relevant Illinois Laws & Rules
- Acceptable Identification Forms
- Safe Cannabis Storage
- Inventory Tracking Compliance & Regulations
- Waste Handling, Management & Disposal
- Dispensary Health & Safety Standards
- Recordkeeping & Records Maintenance
- Security & Surveillance Requirements
- Permitting Inspections by Licensing & Enforcement Authorities
- Customer & Patient Privacy Issues
- Packaging & Labeling Requirements
Yes. Provided it meets the training requirements of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act.
Yes. For example, our Responsible Vendor Certification is two (2) hours of training time, so Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) would still require to provide six (6) hours of additional training per year. In any case, a dispensary agent, agent-in-charge, and principal officer must receive training on the following topics as required by law:
- How to Operate the Point-of-Sale (POS) System & State’s Verification System
- Proper Inventory Handling & Product Tracking
- Specific Uses of Cannabis or Cannabis-Infused Products
- Regulatory Inspection Preparedness Instruction & Law Enforcement Interaction
- Legal Requirements Awareness for Maintaining Agent Status
Yes. All Principal Officers, must meet the eight (8) hour training requirement found in the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. However, only the agents that are required to receive the Responsible Vendor compliance training are those involved in the handling of cannabis.
Yes, but... only if the secondary site is owned by the same entity as the medical cannabis dispensing organization at which the agent works. The IDFPR provides a dispensing organization agent shall only be required to hold one card for the same employer regardless of what type of dispensing organization (adult-use or medical) license the employer holds.
No. An agent-in-charge must be a full-time employee of the dispensary, but an agent-in-charge cannot be the agent-in-charge of more than one dispensary. However, the agent-in-charge of a Medical Cannabis Dispensing Organization may serve as the agent-in-charge for an Adult-Use Cannabis Dispensing Organization operating at the same dispensary site.
Yes. Agents with Medical Cannabis Dispensary Agent Identification Cards can serve purchasers at an Adult Use Dispensing Organization License located at the same site as the medical cannabis dispensary is allowed by the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act provisions.
No. The definition of "dispensing organization" in the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act only includes dispensing organizations with the same site or adult-use dispensing organization licenses. The definition does not include medical cannabis dispensing organizations that have not obtained the same site license from the IDFPR. Because medical cannabis dispensing organization without the same site license is not a "dispensing organization" does not authorize the licensing of individuals to work at medical cannabis dispensing organization.
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Evan Erickson
Chief Training Officer
Message From Our Founder
How would you describe your cannabis training? Underwhelming? Non-existent? If you said anything other than a "well-oiled machine," then you’re at the RIGHT place if you want to transform ordinary training into a well-developed solution.
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