Nationwide Cannabis Industry Adds Over 200,000 Full-Time Jobs
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]A[/dropcap]ccording to new statistics, the legal cannabis industry in the United States is booming and generated over 211,000 full-time jobs. The state-by-state report was completed by Whitney Economics and in partnership with Leafly.
While the cannabis industry is already known as a job-creator, the cumulative tally of jobs isn’t addressed often. The new report sheds light on just how effectively the In 2018, 64,389 full-time cannabis jobs were filled. Direct cannabis jobs employed over 211,000 people, but when indirect and ancillary jobs are added, that number exceeds 296,000 full-time jobs.
“In 2018, the cannabis industry posted job gains of 44 percent,” the report reads. “The year prior, the job gain rate was 21 percent. That growth shows no signs of slowing down. A majority of cannabis consumers in California have yet to transition from the illicit market to the legal market. Michigan, a state with twice the population of Colorado, is expected to open its first adult-use stores in early 2020.” Another 20 percent increase in job growth is expected to take place in 2019.
Over the course of three years, there is expected to be a 110 percent growth in cannabis jobs, easily surpassing several other industries. According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, solar voltaic installer jobs are expected to grow 105 percent. Wind turbine technicians are in high demand and expected to increase 96 percent. Home health care aide jobs are expected to grow 47 percent.
The states experiencing the most dramatic rates of medical and recreational cannabis job growth include Florida, Nevada, Pennsylvania and New York. Cannabis employment in Florida, for instance, grew 703 percent in 2018, and added over 9,000 jobs.
The full report, Special Report: 2019 Cannabis Jobs Count, is currently available for download. A state-by-state appendix is also available for download.
