When I started working in cannabis 20 years ago, we were a scrappy group of activists, doctors, patients, growers and policy wonks all out to free the plant. The requirements for the job were a love of the plant and a history of consumption.
As dispensaries started to form and become businesses, the work chart, from bottom to top, was made up of people who loved the plant first and learned the responsibilities of their jobs second. Because the activity was only quasi-legal, trust was a non-negotiable in those you worked with, and job qualifications were often overshadowed by the length of a friendship.
Of course, on the other side, people from “straight” industries like accounting and marketing were reluctant to enter the cannabis world, even if they were consumers, because of the stigma and legal risk associated with being a part of the commercial supply chain. One of the most interesting industry trends post-legalization is not related to who is buying or consuming cannabis, but rather who is working in it. The retail and service industries, for instance, are seeing workers from the line to the boardroom leaving in pursuit of the green dream.
– Read the entire article at Rollingstone.
Original Article
