Forbes reports that there are nearly 300,000 cannabis jobs in the United States (when accounting for ancillary industries) as of 2019. It’s a remarkable figure, the story mentions that brewing has only about 69,000 workers and that coal, a White House priority if Donald Trump is to be believed, has a mere 52,000 in its workforce. The news comes on the heels of a massive look at employment in cannabis from Leafly last month, and corroborates much of what Leafly had to say. Namely, the states that have legalized medical or adult-use have seen a huge (if invisible) spike in employment opportunities (65,000 new jobs in 2018 alone). While this is an obvious fact, it is also a strong indicator (economic and otherwise) of the benefits that legalization has to offer the United States.

Demand For Cannabis Jobs In The United States Will Only Climb Higher

Unbelievably, the totals reported by both Leafly and Forbes could be on the low side of jobs within cannabis for the foreseeable future. Think about it this way, California, the largest cannabis market in the world, saw job numbers stay pretty stagnant through 2018 due to companies adapting on the fly to adult-use and new regulations. Beyond that, some of the largest states by populous have yet to legalize adult-use.

It sounds nuts, but the cannabis industry is still in its infancy and we are only going to see expanding demand in jobs. Our own Director of Compliance, Juli Crockett, said it best last year when we discussed jobs: “The cannabis industry is in a state of evolution. It is a story that’s being written right now. Who gets to write that story is being decided right now.”

The job that you want may not even exist yet, because this industry is changing and growing every day. One thing we do know? Even as things stand right now, there are tons of jobs out there in cannabis. Cultivation, logistics, transportation, medical applications, accounting, operations, retail, bloggers for cannabis consulting firms, the list goes on and on. And the states where these jobs are in demand is expanding every day as well.

How Can I Get a Job In Cannabis?

Cannabis jobs in the United States are in high demand, but that doesn’t mean you can just walk up to a dispensary and show them your CV. Here are two practical tips for the average college grad besieged by college debt looking for a job in cannabis:

• Evaluate your current skills: Switching industries is intimidating enough, don’t go from a lion tamer to astronaut in other words. If you’re familiar with highly regulated industries that’ll give you a leg up with cannabis companies. Showcase what you know you’re good at.
• Go Where The Jobs Are: Florida and Nevada added over 16,000 jobs combined in 2018. If you want to break into cannabis in 2019, those states aren’t bad options. Neither is California. Other good options? States with emerging medical or adult-use markets such as Michigan, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Oklahoma and others.

Jobs Creation, Consumer Adoption, and Banking Regulation Is What Cannabis Normalization Looks Like

Between the high-profile acquisitions, Wall Street showing more and more interest, the SAFE bill moving forward, CPG companies putting CBD on consumer shelves, and now these two huge jobs reports, people we are living through the moments of normalization on a daily basis. It isn’t going to be painless, or easy, or fun 24/7, but we’re witnessing progress and the birth of a new market.

We’re staring into the future, enjoy the view.