Is working in cannabis a cool job now? In 2024, the legal cannabis industry saw a significant uptick in jobs, gaining 22,952 additional positions. Today, there are approximately 440,445 full-time equivalent jobs in the cannabis space.
This growing industry is attracting a wave of professionals transitioning from traditional industries, such as retail, finance, marketing and technology. But this shift is relatively new as more states legalize the plant either for medicinal or recreational use. In fact, only 30% of cannabis workers have been in the field for five or more years. The majority have been working in the industry for less than a year.
What does the migration to the cannabis workforce mean to the industry overall? We can break it down into two major phenomena: the influx of executives and professionals from traditional industries bringing a level of standardization to the cannabis sector, and at the same time, the demand to fill highly skilled and technical roles opens doors for non-degree holders to grow their careers more quickly than in other industries.
Aisha Alves, Market Director with cannabis executive search firm FlowerHire, explains, “As the industry continues to grow across the country, we’ve seen a steady trend of professionals in leadership positions make the move to cannabis from established businesses, bringing with them proven practices that add structure and accountability to cannabis startups.” But, she goes on to say, “On the other hand, we are also seeing a lot of growth driven by the need to fill new collar jobs—jobs that require hands-on technical ability + specialized training vs. a 4-year degree. With the rise in demand for folks with these skills, we are seeing new paths being forged from entry level to professional careers across the country!”
So who’s making the leap and why?
According to Vangst’s 2022 Analysis of the Cannabis Professional (already linked above), the Great Resignation in 2021 helped start the migration to cannabis. This is due to the fact that 47 million Americans quit their jobs in 2021, just as 107,000 U.S. cannabis jobs were created. As people were searching for a new career path, they stumbled upon opportunities in the legal cannabis industry. What sounds more enticing to you, working for a glass window manufacturer or for a company manufacturing automated machines that infuse pre-rolls? That’s what I thought.
Besides the exciting possibilities, there are also real benefits to working in cannabis:
• As the industry grows, cannabis companies are increasingly able to match or beat traditional sector pay.
• Skills from traditional sectors translate easily to cannabis (such as marketing and sales).
• There’s high demand for ancillary roles such as accounting, marketing, office administration and even chemists are needed to create edible formulations.
• Since the industry is still nascent, there are a plethora of opportunities to come out on top with your own business or startup.
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How are folks that transition into cannabis faring? Well, don’t just take my word for it, here’s what cannabis industry leaders (who have made the shift from a job in a traditional sector) have to say about why they migrated to cannabis and where it led them:
Will Read, founder and CEO of CannaPlanners, a cannabis marketing agency, got his sales and marketing experience from working at Apple as a Business Relationship Manager. He recently shared with BudsFeed, “I’m glad cannabis found me… I started this company from my kitchen table and now I employ 22 of the smartest and coolest people I’ve ever known.”
Mei-Ling Campbell, founder of Higher Dama Consulting, a cannabis sales and growth consultancy, was able to combine years of sales and trade marketing leadership at Marlboro with her love of cannabis to oversee Stiiizy’s multi-state expansion back in 2019. Today, she is able to draw upon a broad range of experiences from both CPG and cannabis to help brands develop structure and strategies to win in the chaotic world of cannabis. She shared her journey in Fat Nugs Magazine, “I feel like I’ve found my Ikigai.”
Nohtal Partansky, former NASA-JPL engineer, now founder and CEO of Sorting Robotics, an industrial automation technology company for the cannabis industry, told Benzinga, “I worked on a project called MOXIE, which is currently on Mars producing oxygen from its atmosphere… Whether it’s a robot on Mars or one in a cannabis facility, the focus is on precision, scalability and problem-solving.”
Transferable skills from all types of industries can apply to cannabis. But it’s the knowledge and expertise these professionals have, be it in sales, marketing, automation or technology, that are raising standards in cannabis.
Cannabis industry transplants are even spearheading the creation of certificate programs to help standardize skills for roles such as cultivation, processing and distribution.
And I can’t forget to mention the immense overhaul on the supply chain that professionals transitioning to the cannabis industry have brought to light. These proven methodologies in areas like supply chain management, operations and quality control (to name just a few) have helped cannabis businesses structure their processes for greater efficiency and productivity.
Lastly, the greater the number of professionals in the cannabis workforce there are, the greater the societal acceptance of the plant. For decades, there’s been a stigma surrounding cannabis that it’s “the devil’s lettuce.” As more professionals reinvigorate their careers in cannabis, we’re seeing a greater societal reception of cannabis—nine in ten Americans say marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use.
The contributions made by traditional industry workers and leaders are bringing the cannabis industry mainstream. This movement to standardize cannabis is not only fortifying the industry through the supply chain but also ensuring the products put on the market are safe.
The global cannabis market size is projected to grow to USD $444.34 billion by 2030. With this level of growth, who knows how standardized cannabis will be in just a few years? I, for one, am excited to see and be part of this advancement.
