The cannabis industry is booming across the United States, and it is fast becoming a hot spot for professionals who are considering a career change. We often get asked about what it is like to work in the cannabis industry, and answering the question has been quite tricky. The simple truth is that working cannabis is fun, but the jobs in the industry are still jobs. You might enjoy what you do in a cannabis company, but you have to take it seriously. Let’s take a look at the critical aspects of working in the cannabis industry. 

Job opportunities 

Cannabis is one of the fastest-growing industries in America, as many companies are springing up to cater to the vast demand for marijuana products. As a result, the industry has witnessed a steady increase in the number of available jobs. According to New Frontier Data, an industry research firm, the industry will create 250,000 jobs in 2020, and the trend is expected to continue as more people use the plant for medical or recreational purposes. So there are a lot of jobs, but you have to decide the following: 

• How you want to work: full-time or seasonal 
• Who you want to work for: an individual or an established business 
• What you want to do: manual labor or something more creative 

Legality 

When it comes to the legality of cannabis, it is considered a Schedule 1 controlled substance by the U.S. federal law. This doesn’t necessarily mean that cannabis is legal or illegal as that decision is up to the states to make. Some states allow only cannabidiol (CBD) oil, while others permit the use of medical cannabis. Some allow its use for medical and recreational purposes while four states (Idaho, Kansas, South Dakota, and Nebraska) consider all forms of cannabis to be illegal. If you want to work in a specific niche of cannabis, you will need to consider state laws and regulations to know where you can work. 

The rules

The cannabis industry is heavily regulated, meaning there are precise ways of doing things. Even more, these rules are subject to changes by each state, and they apply to every aspect of the industry – right from the growers to the budtenders who make the sales. If you want to work in the industry, you will need to know these rules and stick to them as the establishment may be shut down in the event of a violation.

Professional jobs 

A pressing concern of many people who want to break in the industry is the possibility of leveraging their existing professional knowledge into a cannabis-related career. Our answer is this: the industry needs professionals that have HR, marketing, advertising, bookkeeping, operations, sales experience, and other skill sets. There’s plenty of room to accommodate professionals, and you don’t have to worry about re-inventing the wheel. 

Final words 

Working in the cannabis industry is a lot like working in other industries, except that you have to be flexible to perform a lot of different duties as a part of a small team. Also, landing a job isn’t a hard thing – just visit job search sites (like The Cannabis Job Board) to find openings, submit your resume and go for the interviews when you’re invited.

Also Read:  Finding a Job in the Cannabis Industry When You Have No Previous Experience