Last week I ended with a note that legal cannabis sales between patients is exactly the kind of law we need to open up the marijuana business to the little guy.

That might be true, but for the little guy, there is no shortage of jobs to be had in the biz. All you have to do is search the Internet—something I have done quite a bit of since losing my job in the cannabis world. In fact, you don’t have to look very hard at all—marijuana is big business now, and that means jobs.

Last fall, ArcView Market Research, a firm now owned by a cannabis investment group, estimated the nation’s legal cannabis market at $1.5 billion, with rapid growth to $2.5 billion this year and $10 billion by 2018. Um, that’s a 700 percent growth—a big deal. ArcView predicted Arizona’s market would grow from $35 million last year, when dispensaries were just beginning to open, to just under $140 million this year.

Their report was aimed at investors, but where money flows, jobs follow. Thousands of jobs—bud tenders (retail sales associates), growers, managers, cooks, IT folks and more. Basically any job that exists in traditional retail exists in cannabis. And btw, don’t expect to get a job as a grower, just because you grew some awesome bud in your extra bedroom. Commercial growing is a different animal—they’re looking for farmers, not boutique growers.

Most jobs in the cannabis world are snapped up quickly, and a lot of them never make it to websites, but here are a few places to look for marijuana jobs (some in Arizona):

CannaJobs.com: This site seems kind of weak, but it has listings for chefs, operations managers, member consultants (bud tenders) and more. Most of the jobs are in Cali, Colorado and Washington.

420Careers.com: This one has quite a few jobs, but again, not as many as you might hope. A handful are in Arizona, but most are likely filled as they were posted more than a month ago.

THCjobs.com: Again, mostly jobs in California, Washington and Colorado, but they list an ad sales job in Phoenix right now for Culture Magazine. Hmmm.

Now, I will offer a warning for anyone interested in a job in the cannabis world—it’s volatile. My own experience is proof of that. In February, I took a job with a major Arizona cannabis retailer. It all seemed fine and dandy, at first. But in Arizona—and many other states—cannabis is built on investments. Most businesses in Arizona are struggling to make a profit after a year in business. Profitability doesn’t always come quick.

A lot of cannabis businesses—and businesses in general—rely on seed money from investors to start. They convinced folks with deep pockets to inject money into consortiums that opened dispensaries. A lot of dispensaries opened this way—deep in debt.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the cannabis market. Far fewer people got medical marijuana cards in Arizona than most folks predicted. I’ve talked to people who were convinced that we would have more than 100,000 patients shopping in dispensaries by now. We have roughly half that.

So, yes, jobs in the cannabis world are fun. Lots of fun. But a lot of them are teetering on the brink of elimination. I say go forth and seek employment, but—especially if you are in Arizona—beware. This is a right to work state, which makes it a right-to-let-you-go-with-no-notice-or-explanation state.

This article appears in Aug 7-13, 2014.

6 replies on “Get a Job”

  1. I don’t know for sure, but I thing a lot of why we are not signing up in droves, is the high cost just to obtain the card. If we come to our sense, we can hop on the bandwagon and make it legal for recreation as it should be, we might be able to save enough to patronize the excellent dispensaries we have at our disposal and will need more people to staff them. How’s that for an idea?

  2. $150 to get a medical mj license for the privilege of paying $350 or more per ounce for something that available on the black market for about $75 an ounce.

  4. it is good to see this open opinion on MMJ. I see a great paradox here between quality of life and market driven revenue. With the AZ MMJ law passed gave some great protections to the Patient that needs this kind of medication. To legalize it these would be gone the enforcement now would be on home growers and a civil action taken by the government and possible liens and levies against property for growing your own. It seems unfathomable to try and build a business and on a weed. It can and will grow anywhere and does. Over the years I have witnessed urban grows and micro grows that yield fantastic quality. Having worked in the commercial Landscape business and toured many a nursery the Imperial valley can turn out tons a month plenty of water and skilled labor for that. Cannabis is similar to Alfalfa and cotton. In Yuma they get 4 cuttings a year and the enhanced UVB from the latitude grow a better product. So to surmise do you want the police to go from protecting to tax collection? To invest so much to have fantastically skilled commercial grow operations with all facilities in place? To lose the protection given under the law to MMJ patients? To pursue strong market driven stains rather than strains related to MMJ ? One question to you Brad as you have worked in the MMJ business dispensary what training did they give and maintain to the employees on how different strains and pheno affect different medical ailments?

    As a note when the federal government changes the classification the Indian reservations when there is no SS tax or state tax low investment cost and great land. Right now it is possible to buy over the internet from state’s that recognize other states MMJ patient cards. and the post office in the trouble they are in don’t want to police that.

    There is a symbiotic relationship between these dispensaries and the MMJ patient this ridiculous claim of compassion care and nonprofit where you can grow the cost of a new Hyundai on 60 days. Dispensaries just don’t realize the whole industry is a house of cards they too need the MMJ laws. Student, Veteran, Senior, happy hour, gameday, specials, bonus points, why cant there be honest pricing? The cost to produce is obvious inflate the cost and entice with discounts very discouraging for MMJ patients such as myself and I know hundreds to support these dispensaries. Result less people signing up for it they are killing their own. When asked by other in my support groups if it is worth while to obtain this license and go to dispensaries. I tell them get the license for protection stay with the support group there options to getting it.

  5. What needs to change is AZDHS needs to come into line with costs to enroll this should not be a revenue enhancer and market access limiter. REALISTIC PRICING !

  6. Most of us who need MMJ cannot use it because of employer laws. I am currently fighting to keep my job even though I have a card and have worked for this company for almost 11years with no disciplinary actions, I’m always on time, rarely call in sick. Now I’ve had to stop using and get on FMLA to prevent losing my job due to increased physical therapy appts and increased pain, which now means missed work. So ridiculous.

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