As a federally illegal industry, working in cannabis means operating like a multi-national company in a single country. Laws and regulations are set at the state level and, in some states, down to the level of the municipalities. This means, for a company operating in multiple states there will be, at a minimum, a one-to-one equivalence between the number of those operational states and the laws and regulations that must be considered when designing and implementing training.

However, in addition to those states where they allow municipality-level regulation and, since cannabis is an industry that operates in multiple “verticals” (i.e., cultivation, manufacturing, wholesale and retail), the legal and regulatory requirements have become exponentially greater. This is why partnering with corporate legal and compliance teams is an imperative for L&D. While cannabis may be a unique space, the partnership between L&D, legal and compliance teams can be a template for any industry.

L&D, Legal and Compliance: A Risk-Smart Alliance

Traditionally, legal, compliance and L&D teams only work together after a lawsuit or incident has led to large settlements, regulatory fines or penalties. This reactive mentality often results in negative or contentious interactions because of the urgency to meet the requirements for any statements of deficiency (SODs) or legal settlements, especially when there is a short timeline to roll out complex regulatory training to many, if not all, of the company’s employees and then report that training back to the applicable regulatory body.

As the experts in adult learning, it’s L&D’s responsibility to understand the training regulatory environment, ensure compliance and mitigate risk. So, how can a reactive mentality be avoided and make sure legal and regulatory training is proactive within your organization?

1.    Make L&D the regulatory training experts.

To build strong partnerships with legal and compliance teams, L&D must first become well-versed in regulatory training. While the business may typically view this as the domain of legal and compliance, your expertise in training regulations can strengthen the partnership and position L&D as a more strategic, informed collaborator.

Why this matters:

• The more knowledgeable L&D becomes, the more they’re seen as a true partner, not just a service provider.
• Legal and compliance teams are already stretched thin with responsibilities like licensing, contracts, employee safety and standard operating procedure (SOP) reviews.
• Taking ownership of training regulations can free up legal teams to focus on broader risk management — while positioning L&D as the go-to team for all training-related requirements.

Actionable tips:

• Research and document relevant training regulations in your industry.
• Engage legal and compliance as advisors, not owners, of regulatory content.
• Monitor changes in regulatory guidance, especially during:
• • Mergers and acquisitions.
  • Geographic expansion.
  • Periods of regulatory change.

By standing on equal footing, L&D earns trust and a seat at the table during strategic decisions.

Consider the legal and compliance teams as resources for times when clarification or understanding of legal nuance is needed.

2.    Become legal and compliance’s no.1 learning partner.

Once L&D builds regulatory credibility, it’s time to deepen collaboration. Position your team as the legal and compliance departments’ top partner for delivering and maintaining effective training.

How to do it:

• Co- create high quality, standardized state and/or role-specific legal and regulatory training programs that can guarantee compliance adherence throughout the company.

• Establish training as a core part of onboarding to demonstrate the organization’s commitment to compliance.
• Build programs that are easy to scale and update in response to new laws or internal policies.

Impact:

• Strengthens employee awareness from day one.
• Reduces audit risks and regulatory penalties.
• Mitigates legal exposure from employees claiming they weren’t properly informed.
• Directly supports return on investment (ROI) by lowering fines and legal fees.

3.    Use your LMS to track and report compliance.

Lastly, distribute the learning content through a learning management system (LMS) to track completion rates. L&D can offer important data to the business’s lawyers, regulators, auditors, investors, risk managers, etc. with:

• Scheduled or on-demand reports of completion rates.
• Sign off/acknowledgements.
• Knowledge retention assessments.

Make Compliance a Cultural Foundation

Whether you’re in a highly regulated industry like cannabis or a lower-risk field, L&D can play a crucial role in building a culture of compliance.

Final steps to take:

• Learn the training regulations specific to your industry.
• Identify training gaps and work with Legal and Compliance to close them.
• Track impact over time — compare data from before and after your partnership (e.g., fines, safety incidents, settlements).

Showcase the ROI of L&D by demonstrating how proactive partnerships reduce risk, improve safety, and save money — all while reinforcing your team’s value to the business.