If there was any doubt that the “green rush” is on in Colorado, the scene outside a marijuana industry career fair in Denver on Thursday looked like a throwback to the Great Recession.
Thousands of people waited for hours with resumes in hand in a line that stretched several blocks. The O.penVAPE Cannabis Job Fair featured 15 different businesses associated with recreational marijuana sales, and it had turn people away by the day’s end.
St. Louis resident Shannon Irvin has been jobless for several months. He drove to Colorado for the fair with hopes of breaking into the state’s budding industry and wound up waiting in line for 2 hours.
“With this type of industry and the way the money’s coming in, this is the place to be right now,” he said.
Luke Ramirez is the co-owner of Walking Raven Wellness Center, a medical marijuana dispensary that now also sells recreational pot.
He said they set up a booth at the fair because they’ve had no choice but to expand their business since pot sales became legal at the start of the year.
“Our sales increased about 300 percent. Our traffic through the stores increased by the same number,” Ramirez said. “So, that’s why we’re here today. We actually need to hire more folks to help with that traffic and that added revenue.”
According to newly released statistics from the state, $14 million was spent on marijuana purchases in January.
There is still some question about how successful the pot industry will be, but analysts say it is sustainable and still not near its peak.
“It has been a very harsh economic environment for over a decade, and this industry has a lot of very exciting opportunities for young people,” said Michael Elliott, executive director of the Marijuana Industry Group.
No comments:
Post a Comment