Read Leafly’s full report here. 

The relationship between American businesses and the American is fraught with tension—and bracketed by more anxieties now than we’ve seen in decades. And yet, for a variety of reasons, the cannabis space is hiring and retaining talent at a good clip. Part of that is due to the simple growth trajectory of a new legal market emerging from an unregulated landscape. Part of that is due to the cultural intrigue of cannabis. And yet another part of that story is due to many employers and employees building a cohesive, stable workplace that turns daily actions into shared goals and achievements.

We’ve certainly put the spotlight on that last narrative in our recent Best Cannabis Companies To Work For issue, but, indeed, the state of the cannabis workforce has many layers. Plant-touching businesses find themselves at the center of the story, but there’s more going on in this bustling industry.  

Here’s a bit more context from the team at Leafly:

“Those 428,059 jobs include direct cannabis jobs like cultivation and retail sales—what are often called “plant-touching jobs”—as well as indirect ancillary jobs that serve licensed companies or depend on legal cannabis sales. Ancillary jobs include work in accounting, human resources, legal affairs, regulatory compliance, security, maintenance, and construction. Also included are indirect jobs in cannabis media, technology platforms, public relations, lobbying, non-cannabis product suppliers, and industry associations.”

From there, Leafly points to nine states that evince the deeper layers of the U.S. cannabis labor pool, including, naturally, California, where state-licensed businesses reeled in $5.2 billion in sales in 2021.