The Highest Paying Jobs in the Canna-Industry

The canna-industry has shape-shifted and proliferated drastically in recent years. Explore its evolution and where you can land your dream job making good money working with hemp.

If you are a part of the generations that remember when hemp was illegal in every aspect, you can probably still remember the underground market when you think of buying your goods. You may imagine dark, dingy, basement grow rooms or farms with wire fencing and guards. You probably imagine something along the lines of the old movie, Scarface. These depictions couldn’t be further from the truth.

The canna-industry has grown into a prestigious and well respected business across the world. Thanks to extensive medical research on what the hemp plant can provide medicinally, more and more regions are accepting the plant as an alternative medicine or as a safe, recreational hobby.

Medical hemp CBD has been utilized for decades as a pain reliever for patients but is now widely used for a variety of ailments. People from Canada to South America are jumping at the opportunity to get involved in the industry’s boom. Whether you are a budtender, a regular shopper at Atomic Blaze, or someone who just appreciates our Green Goddess, there are plenty of well paying career pathways in this industry. Below are some career options that are the highest paying jobs in the hem industry:

Grow Master/Botanical Specialist

This incredibly intellectually stimulating job pays a whopping $80,000 to $100,000 a year in salary! That being said, there are tons of responsibilities of which a grow master or botanical specialist must stay diligent:

●Managing the warehouse

●Managing grow lights

●Cloning, transplanting, trimming, feeding, and all other grow tasks

●Training supervisors

●Managing the warehouse team

●Managing the garden schedule

●Minimize expenses

●Preventing and eliminating fungi, mold, and pests

●Keeping records

●Managing harvests

Extraction Technician

This engaging work pays everywhere from $75,000 to $125,000 a year in salary! It may sound like a dream come true but it is to be noted that this role in the industry takes high skills in the lab and requires great attention to detail.

The extraction technician plays the role of extracting and isolating the cannabinoids that provide the human body with therapeutic benefits. These techs use solvents like CO2 and butane to create consistent, high-quality and high-potency hemp concentrate oils.

Most techs have doctoral degrees and require great scientific knowledge to obtain this career. The job can be dangerous as the technicians handle hazardous chemicals, which is why the pay is so high.

Dispensary COO and CFO

If you were to work for a state-licensed medical dispensary as a COO (chief operating officer) or a CFO (chief financial officer), you could earn up to $125,000 in annual salary, plus medical and retirement benefits! This sounds like an ideal job but there are some hefty job responsibilities that go along with these job titles:

●Managing cultivation facility operations

●Managing the company’s accounting department

●Supervising financial reporting

●Overseeing harvesting, processing, and distribution

●Developing and monitoring budgets

●Analyzing operations to improve efficiency and to reduce costs

You don’t have to have experience in the industry to get this job. If you have prior experience with one of these roles in a different industry, there is a good chance that you can make it as a Dispensary COO or CFO. Your dream career-come-true!

Consultant

According to Glassdoor, consultants can make up to $75,000 annually. Though this is argued by Investopia who says that a consultant can make up to six figures! Consultants are generally those who are brought in to advise businesses on their expertise in both state and local regulations to maintain compliance. These individuals usually have backgrounds in law or as accountants who also know the canna-industry to the capital “T.”

Hemp Edibles Chef

Yep, this job is exactly what it sounds like, a chef who makes scrumptious edibles. Who knew such an inspiring job in the food arts industry could pay up to $80,000 a year! Who wouldn’t want to make beautiful and delicious hemp infused treats for a living?

This job can range from working in an edibles kitchen, slinging packaged edibles to dispensaries, to working in niche kitchens that serve wealthy clients. It’s up to you on where you want to take this dream job!

In Conclusion

Thankfully the canna-industry is shaping into a place where people of all backgrounds can invest their time and careers proudly. Whether you decide to stick with a low-key, laid back position like a budtender or go into the commerce side of things and become a dispensary CFO, there are plenty of opportunities to grow alongside the business as it becomes one of the fastest budding industries in the world. Don't forget to get your herb smoking supplies at Atomic Blaze Online Smoke Shop!