As THC Drinks Take Off, RI Hospitality’s New Training Program Is Drawing National Attention
The Rhode Island-based program is serving as a model for a budding sector of the craft beverage industry.
A screenshot shows the new THC-infused beverage service training program available on the Rhode Island Hospitality Association website. (Courtesy of RIHA)
Ever wondered just how much of a THC-infused beverage you can drink before getting high?
Now there’s a class for that.
The Rhode Island Hospitality Association — the state’s sixty-three-year-old trade organization representing the food, beverage, hotel, tourism and casino industries — announced last month it had launched a new THC-infused beverage service training program for hospitality professionals. It’s the first of its kind offered by a state hospitality association and complements the group’s other training programs in food safety, alcohol service and other certifications.
“It’s in its early stage of development, this whole THC [and] cannabis world,” says Farouk Rajab, president and CEO of the RIHA. “We wanted to be the first nationally recognized statewide organization that offers this training.”
The training is in response to the rise of hemp-based, THC-infused beverages, a quickly growing category now commonplace on liquor store shelves and bar menus. Despite a federal ban slated to take effect later this year, the drinks have become a popular alternative for consumers who aren’t keen on alcohol but want to join in the craft beverage scene. In Rhode Island, patrons can order the canned drinks at The Malted Barley, Julian’s, DeWolf Tavern, The Eddy and The Red Door, among other places.
While the restrictions around the sale of THC-infused beverages are similar to those around alcohol — consumers must be twenty-one or older, and they’re often sold at places that carry alcoholic drinks — the effects on the body can differ, according to RIHA Chief Operating Officer Heather Singleton. While many patrons are familiar with their tolerance levels to alcohol, consumers ordering THC-infused beverages are often new to cannabis and might not be aware of the impacts on the body. In Rhode Island, THC-infused drinks must be sold in resealable cans containing up to five one-milligram servings. For some consumers, that one-milligram serving might be enough to feel a buzz. For others, one or even two cans might be a more typical dose.
“The biggest thing when you’re consuming this particular beverage is go low and slow. Every single person is going to be different on how it affects their body,” Singleton says.
The class covers dosage and serving sizes along with onset times, age verification, responsible service protocol and how to recognize overconsumption. Though it was initially intended for beverage industry professionals serving THC-infused drinks in a restaurant or bar setting, Singleton says the class is appropriate for anyone seeking to learn more about responsible consumption, including liquor store employees and consumers. The training costs $45 and is available to the public through the RIHA’s website.
The goal, Singleton says, was to create a THC-infused beverage service training program similar to the trainings required by state law for food safety and alcohol certification. While the RIHA uses the ServSafe curriculum in its food and alcohol trainings, the nationally-recognized certification program has no equivalent for THC-infused beverage service. Singleton took two online training programs from private organizations while researching the options, but wasn’t satisfied with how content was presented in either of them.
“We didn’t find something that was specific to what we were looking for from Rhode Island, so we just went ahead and built it out ourselves,” she says.
The RIHA worked with an online training partner to create the web-based class. At the end of the program, trainees take an exam to receive their certification in THC-infused beverage service and sales. The organization also offers onsite training programs for staff.
Since the program launched in December, Singleton says they’ve seen interest from hospitality groups in Alaska, Ohio, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts in adapting the training for their states. The training program can be updated by the online provider to reflect other states’ cannabis regulations.
“We want to be the leaders, and we want to be the people that the industry comes to,” she says.
While interest in the drinks continues to grow, THC-infused beverage producers were put on notice last November when Congress passed an effective ban on the products as part of the legislation reopening the government. With the ban slated to take effect later this year, many beverage producers and advocates are pushing for new regulations that would formally legalize the beverages. Rajab says he believes government regulators and producers will reach a compromise before the ban takes effect.
“We should regulate [and] ensure the safety of the consumer, but we can’t go against the wave or against the tide. The genie’s out of the bottle on THC, CBD and cannabis. We just need to manage through this and make sure those products are safe to consume,” he says.
In Rhode Island, the Cannabis Control Commission has stopped issuing new licenses to sell THC-infused beverages while the agency comes up with recommendations for updated regulations around the drinks. The RIHA is one of the groups participating in talks around the new regulations. If the agency decides to require employee training similar to regulations around alcohol, Rajab and Singleton say, the RIHA program could fulfill that requirement.
“We are remaining nimble and flexible with the training, and we know that it is also going to be a live document. If something changes, we’re at the ready,” Singleton says.
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