Did you know that, while still a small percentage overall, the legal cannabis industry is one of the fastest growing industries in Colorado? It’s also an incredible industry for women, with 36% of company leadership roles being held by women (versus 22% across all other industries). That means there are a lot of opportunities for ladies who love weed and management. It’s still a pretty white industry, but there are organizations like Minorities for Medical Marijuana that are actively working to change that (also, if this is an issue you care about, please consider becoming a monthly donor).
I’ve been wondering what it would take to find and get a job in the cannabis industry in Colorado.
Get Licensed
In order to work in the cannabis industry in Colorado, you need to get a MED Occupational License. MED stands for Marijuana Enforcement Division. The application process is invasive and cost prohibitive, especially to the communities who were most directly affected by cannabis prohibition.
In order to get licensed, you must:
- Set up an appointment with the MED Office
- Pass a background check
- Be a Colorado resident
- Get fingerprinted
- Pay $75-$250 application fee. No refund if you’re not approved.
Job Board Websites
Once you’re actually licensed, finding a job in the industry can be pretty easy, depending on what department you’re looking at and/or have experience in. You can find job listings for the cannabis industry all over your favorite job listing websites.
Ziprecuiter, Monster, and Indeed all have jobs listed in the cannabis industry. There are also cannabis industry specific job boards like Brue Jobs, Vangst and 420careers. Furthermore, there are often job listings in the industry on Facebook and LinkedIn so don’t forget to look there too.
Networking Events
There’s also the old fashioned way to break into the industry and that’s by going to industry networking events, if you’re already in the state (or any state that has a legal cannabis market).
Women grow is an incredible organization that has chapter meetups all over the country. It’s a great way to get to know people who are already in the industry and get you an in on any job openings. I personally think it’s much harder work to get in this way, because all millennials have social anxiety it seems like, myself included, but ultimately the pay off is much better. Not only will you have a great in with the company but you’ll have the start of a social circle.
Start An Ancillary Business
Finally, if getting licensed is not for you, or unattainable for you, there are ways you can still be involved in the cannabis industry without directly working for a dispensary or growing facility. You can work for or start a company that provides ancillary services.
Although they may sell or produce something that exists in this weird legal limbo, cannabis companies still need a lot of the services all businesses need. Packaging, graphic design, copywriting, social media marketing, cleaning services, IT support, software development, etc.
When you start to consider all the possible ancillary services one could offer, you see that there are endless opportunities to get involved in legal cannabis.
What kind of job would you want in the legal cannabis space?
