The USA National Sell-SMaRT Responsible Vendor Program delivers certified training in safe, compliant sales for regulated retail teams anywhere in the country. It exists for two situations: operators running locations across several states who need one consistent standard rather than a patchwork, and teams in states that have no state-specific Sell-SMaRT track but still want a credentialed program behind their staff.
The Sell-SMaRT curriculum
Section I: the legal information and rules that govern regulated retail
Section II: safety and security, including diversion prevention and protecting your team
Section III: checking IDs, including altered and out-of-state identification
Section IV: handling tricky situations, the ones that do not appear in any SOP
Section V: educating consumers responsibly, without making claims you cannot make
Bonus content on delivery compliance
Why Sell-SMaRT
Created in 2014 by Maureen McNamara of Cannabis Trainers, Sell-SMaRT was the first responsible vendor program in the United States approved by both a state enforcement division and a state health department. McNamara built it on 27 years of food safety and responsible alcohol service training, and that lineage shows: the program is engaging enough that teams finish it, which is the whole point of training that is supposed to change behavior.
How the course works
100% online and video-led, and applicable from anywhere
Written materials, customizable worksheets, and a knowledge check at the end of every module
Printable summary documents for easy reference on the floor
A multiple-choice final exam requiring a score of 70% or better
Roughly four to five hours across the full program, taken at your own pace
Common questions
Does the national version satisfy my state's mandate?
Not necessarily. Where a state operates its own approved responsible vendor program, you need that state's track. We carry state-specific Sell-SMaRT courses for Colorado, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Alabama, and others. Use the national program where no state-specific requirement applies, or as a common baseline across a multi-state team.
Why would a multi-state operator choose this?
Because it gives every location the same vocabulary, the same standards, and the same records, which makes internal auditing far simpler than reconciling several different state programs.
What score do I need to pass?
70% or better on the final exam, after which you receive your Sell-SMaRT certificate.
State-specific Sell-SMaRT programs
Where a state approves its own responsible vendor program, take the state version instead: Colorado, Massachusetts, Alabama, New Jersey, Maryland, New York, or Minnesota. Browse the full compliance catalog.