Derek Oldham, Certified Ganjier

About Me

My name is Derek Oldham and I am a Certified Ganjier, Health Coach, and Cannabis Educator. 

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I offer cannabis education and training services to businesses, organizations, and individuals across Michigan. My mission is to train the best budtenders in the midwest and share my knowledge with everyone who wants to learn more about this sacred healing plant. 

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My path to becoming a Ganjier and educator started with me working as a river guide in Oregon. There is wisdom in the water, and my time on the river carved me into a confident teacher with a knack for jokes and storytelling. 

During the off season, I had the privilege to work for master cultivators in Southern Oregon. After the harvest, I took my earnings and traveled the world. From Thai Stick and Bhang Lassi in Asia, to infused mezcal in Mexico, I have been fortunate enough to experience the cannabis culture in 12 different countries. I cherish these memories and will often share one in my classes.

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In 2018 I moved from Oregon to Ann Arbor, Michigan. I became a budtender as the market transitioned from medical to adult use. I continued to work as a budtender and dispensary store manager throughout the pandemic, helping to provide medicine and support for the community during a difficult time. The people that came in and shared their healing plant stories with me kept me inspired and hungry for more knowledge.

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This desire lead me to become a Certified Health Coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 2020. This experience taught me how to ask better questions and embrace the bio-individuality of each person.

During this time I worked with City Council and Decriminalize Nature to successfully change the law to decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungi in Ann Arbor. I started to cultivate my own medicine that helped keep me strong and healthy minded while being an essential worker throughout the pandemic.

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In 2021, I was accepted into the first Ganjier certification program to become a designated Master of Cannabis Service and an expert in assessing cannabis products. The Ganjier program is the most comprehensive collection of cannabis knowledge currently available, containing both cutting edge science, and the ancient, forbidden, and nearly forgotten wisdom of the past. I studied, trained, read voraciously, and passed my exams in Humboldt County. I was honored to graduate in the first year class and receive the title of Certified Ganjier.

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It is now my honor and my mission to ensure that this knowledge is preserved, passed on, and expanded upon.

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