
The marijuana industry looks like the fastest-growing job market in the country
Published on 3/13/19
Job creation is a priority when it comes to increasing the value of the United States economy and the official report detailing new jobs created every year is completely omitting the largest job creating industry in the nation, marijuana. In 2018 alone the marijuana industry was estimated to have created over 64,000 new jobs. The grand total of all jobs related to the industry is up to 296,000, and that's with most states having a limited form of legalization and many having no legal cannabis at all. 2.7 million jobs were created in 2018 in the U.S. without figuring in the marijuana industry's contribution, which is left out intentionally due to it's federally illegal status. Compared to the nearly 300,000 cannabis related jobs in the U.S. there are only 131,430 working chefs, 65,760 aerospace engineers and 40,000 computer operaters. It's clear that the potential for jobs in the cannabis industry is even higher than it's current state, yet it remains the fastest growing job market available. When cannabis becomes fully legalized nationwide these numbers could skyrocket even further.
“Amid the roiling debate over American jobs, the legal cannabis industry remains a substantial and unrecognized engine of grassroots job creation,” the report’s authors wrote. “In 2019, America’s cannabis industry is one of the nation’s greatest economic success stories. That success deserves to be recognized and celebrated.”