We are delighted to be working with security expert Ben Merritt on our latest government project. FOCUS – the Foundation of Cannabis Unified Standards – and Green Flower as its approved training provider, have been appointed by West Virginia’s Bureau of Public Health to develop a 2-hour mandatory training program for all licensed operators recently awarded a permit in the Mountain State. The subject of the course is Best Security Practices.
Meet the Expert Ben Merritt
Ben has been involved with the course from the start. From initially outlining concepts, to providing content, and refining the script and course flow, he has worked closely with the Green Flower team to bring you this fast-paced, impactful crash course with the objective of defining physical security, highlighting the significance of a security program, and emphasizing the importance of a master security plan.
Ben is a 10 year veteran of the United States Coast Guard. He was responsible for physical security, logistics, and compliance aboard multiple Coast Guard cutters, inside search and rescue command centers, as well as oversaw security planning for other federal and maritime facilities. Ben currently oversees operation for American Cultivation Systems (ACS) that focuses solely on cannabis facilities. Additionally, he is the cofounder of Growth Security Solutions (GSS), which is a security consulting firm that helps owners and cultivators design state of the art security programs to meet and exceed state and local requirements.
“My career has mainly been in the military and private security fields, with a focus on operations and physical security. Several years ago I was asked about applying best practice security methods to a cannabis application, which was a world I knew little about at the time. I found that typical cannabis regulations call for very stringent physical security measures, much like the ones I applied to federal buildings and ships while in the military,” said Ben.
“Since then, it has been my goal to bring to cannabis business owners a thoughtful, creative, and unique approach to answering their security questions and helping them exceed the requirements in their state of choice. Oftentimes I have seen cannabis owners approach security with hesitation, anxiety, or as just another line item to check off on the application to-do list. I am very excited to collaborate on a course that is a guide to future owners, with the intent to ease their uncertainty and help them establish a great physical security program for their facilities.”
1 comment
id like to know more about this course. i am an electronic security specialist and have been runnin the superintendent for a maintenance project for a state government military agency for 25 years now. i really want to transition over to working in the cannabis industry and have in the past taken courses through Oaksterdam university in Oakland california. I was going to start with your cultivation classes and continue on but this course just caught my eye being based around what ivew doen most of my life.