Cannabis industry could generate more than 10,000 jobs in Connecticut

Connecticut's cannabis industry could generate more than 10,000 jobs in just a few years after recreational market launches, according to a study conducted by CannabizTeam. By the year 2022, there are 10,500 cannabis jobs that could be created in the area by the year 2025, according to the 2022 Tri-State Cannabis Salary GuideState Cannabis Salary Guide.

Adam Wood, president of the Connecticut Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, noted that the industry is already contributing a lot to Connecticut's economy through engineers, attorneys, and architects.

Wood said that firms in the State need people with industry-specific knowledge.

There is some really industry-specific knowledge related to cultivation and best practices. Its cultivation is, but it also includes lighting and technology, and all those other parts, Wood said. They are in high demand. Verano Holdings Corp., which acquired medical cannabis cultivator CTPharma in 2021, hosted a jobs fair in June in Rocky Hill, ahead of the first adult-use sales in the state. After the event, Verano brought its total number of Connecticut employees to 125, mostly in cultivation, production and growth operations.

When you look at the type of talent we attract and bring in, you would have seen a very motley crew of people from all walks of life, said Michael Evans, VP of talent acquisition at Verano.

People who are very experienced and just looking to make a complete change, and people who haven't been able to find that kind of job they're passionate about are some of the people who are very experienced and just looking to make a change. We need to add more people because production needs will go up, so I think we need to add more people. Evans said we have good parking, good space, and the capacity to expand in Rocky Hill.

In the past year, Ben Zachs, Chief Operations Officer for Connecticut-based cannabis dispensary Fine Fettle, received more than 1,000 applications. Zachs believes Fine Fettle will need to hire up to 200 employees in the near future. Its employees can make anywhere from $18 per hour to $90,000 in salaries and benefits.