Legal marijuana is a growing business (pardon the pun), and job opportunities abound. One industry consultant expects 200,000 pot-related positions to be created in 2015 alone. Professional positions with big growth potential are emerging throughout the country, according to a report released this week from WeedHire, a job posting site for the legal cannabis industry. WeedHire currently lists 1,200 jobs from 800 companies, says co-founder David Bernstein.
"This is not only a growing industry, but one that is new and wide open with opportunity," Bernstein says. Today 23 states and Washington D.C. have passed laws where it is legal to sell marijuana, and Illinois is expected to be next. This brand-new trend is creating thousands of jobs across many specialties, including government positions for the regulation and enforcement of legal cannabis.
WeedHire reports a Q4 job growth as follows:
Dispensary: 90 percent
Medical: 70 percent
Administrative: 65 percent
Sales: 56 percent
Ancillary industries including electrical, tech, accounting and legal are also in demand for cannabis operations. Bernstein says this field is especially attractive to women, thanks in part to the rapidly changing perception of cannabis, and the flexible work schedules many of these new companies offer.
Just a couple decades ago, moms primarily saw weed was a gateway drug threatening their teenagers' lives, but attitudes are changing. Two years ago the Partnership at Drugfree.org surveyed parents and found 35 percent of parents favored legalizing marijuana for recreational use, 46% said it should be decriminalized, and 70% supported legalizing marijuana for medical purposes. In 1969, Gallup found that just 12 percent of Americans favored legalization.
"For many people, especially women, it can be a gateway to a new career," Bernstein says. "Since it is such a new industry, there is no old-boys club to break into." Women are often viewed as preferred hires in the industry for positions in sales, medical, and marketing positions. "Especially when customers are new to the product and might be shy, women can be seen as more approachable and accessible in a consultative role," Bernstein says.
One note: "Pothead" is not a job requirement. Industry employers report that 80 percent of perspective employees say they do not use the product, Bernstein says.
