A report has found that about 320,000 Americans are working in the cannabis industry. This represents a more than 30% increase from 2020 figures, making cannabis one of the country’s fastest-growing sectors. This also means that the United States has more legal marijuana workers than electrical engineers, paramedics, or dentists. The marijuana industry has grown significantly since last year when cultivation facilities and dispensaries were classified as essential businesses by various states at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Published in partnership with Whitney Economics, the Leafly Jobs Report shows that in 2020, the industry added about 80,000 jobs to the market, which is almost twice what it added in 2019. It helps that more states across the country are also legalizing the use of the plant for both recreational and medical purposes. Some Americans are re-evaluating their career prospects and jobs after the pandemic remodeled their working and social lives. Many are quitting their jobs in search of more opportunities for advancement, better benefits and consistent hours, which can be found in the legal marijuana industry. Viridian Staffing chief executive of cannabis recruiting Kara Bradford stated that a shift of workers from restaurants and retail to marijuana has been observed, noting that there’s a sense that the industry has a lot of opportunities for advancement. The surge in marijuana hiring has put pressure on other employers to ease drug-testing requirements, especially in the District and the eighteen states where recreational cannabis use is legal. This is in addition to increasing pay, as the hourly rate at dispensaries is between $12 and $15.
CannabisNewsWire, 10/01/2021 04:20:00