Whatever way you look at it, the U.S. cannabis industry is booming, and so is its employment outlook: A 2022 jobs report from Leafly shows the creation of more than 100,000 cannabis jobs in 2021, a 33 percent increase over previous years.
And in an industry that last year expanded for the fifth year in a row, cannabis job growth was a stunning 27 percent, versus the 8 percent job growth the government projected across the board for all industries for the next decade.
In all, cannabis now supports more than 428,000 jobs, Leafly reports. That leaves the question of who will fill those positions and the additional jobs to follow. Sure, high school grads can take lower-wage jobs in dispensaries and cultivation outlets, But where the industry really needs new blood is higher up the ladder, in technology and especially in ideas, says Anthony Dutcher, chief marketing officer for Veriheal, a cannabis healthcare tech company.
That’s why Denver-based Veriheal – which facilitates marijuana cards for medical consumers – is increasing its college scholarship program (for 2022-2023) for the third year in a row. The program’s overall total will be $25,000, up from last year’s $20,000. Ten college-bound high school seniors (or already-enrolled undergraduate and graduate students) eyeing cannabis careers may vie for $5,000 apiece.
The application is a 1,000-word essay – deadline, July 30 – that presents an innovative idea for the industry, Dutcher said in a recent interview. “Give us your wildest ideas,” the CMO said, inviting young applicants. “And we’re not stringent on format. We want to see the passion; we want to see that you invested the time to really think this through.
