Despite the pandemic, the demand for cannabis continues to climb year-over-year and more markets are expected to open or expand business in the coming year.
Many industries experienced massive drops in sales during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic—including local restaurants and bars, movie theaters, and airlines. But that was not the case for the cannabis market, where legal sales surpassed $17.5 billion in 2020, a 46 percent jump year-over-year.
That’s according to a report that also projects that the cannabis industry is again poised for major job growth. In the report, Karson Humiston, founder and CEO of cannabis recruiting firm Vangst, predicted that “2021 is where we’re going to see tremendous job growth, and we think it’s going to be the biggest job creation year the cannabis industry has ever seen.” So far, industry growth is trending in that direction.
New Demand Means More Jobs
As evidence of steady job growth in 2020, the U.S. cannabis industry added more than twice as many jobs as it did in 2019, and the trend for more jobs is predicted to continue through 2021 and beyond. This is good news for those interested in preparing for a career at a cannabis dispensary.
Jobs aren’t the only numbers trending higher. Analysts see rising numbers in the growing state cannabis markets as well.
A recent forecast predicts that with new markets coming online and existing markets trending upward, that legal cannabis sales in the U.S. could surpass $30 billion in 2022. This takes into account new markets expected to open for both medical and recreational use.
States Plan to Expand Use
As more states legalize cannabis use for medical and/or recreational use, the job opportunities in those states continue to grow to keep pace. New Mexico, Connecticut, and Alabama are just a few states where legalized cannabis legislation is pending.
Available jobs in the marijuana industry include roles such as medical associates, extraction technicians, warehouse inventory specialists, retail inventory specialists, cultivation technicians, and others. Yet, one of the universal demands remains certified dispensary technicians—also known as budtenders.
A budtender’s job description can vary based on the state they work in and the company they work for. In general, a budtender is a multifaceted sales professional with expert knowledge of cannabis and cannabis products who works in a retail setting.
See our previous article to read more about some of the responsibilities expected of a budtender, as well as average salaries.
The Budtender Certification Program at CannabisCareer.com
Cannabis Career is an online education provider that prepares its students to become highly sought-after dispensary technicians in the emerging cannabis industry. CannabisCareer.com is wholly owned by Legacy Education, a leader in education that operates several nationally accredited colleges. It inspires confidence knowing their program is backed by a national leader in career education.
Cannabis Career is helping the future cannabis workforce to acquire a wealth of knowledge in all aspects of the industry—and that’s exactly what dispensary owners seek when hiring new budtenders.
Their popular budtender certification program covers all the essential elements of the job, such as the medicinal properties of cannabis, risk prevention, and effective customer communications.
To get certified, Cannabis Career students must apply their knowledge to pass an exam at the end of the program. This can help future employers validate their knowledge and expertise as they prepare to fill the expected demand for dispensary technicians.
Why Become a Certified Budtender?
Job seekers sometimes ask if cannabis training is necessary and why the Cannabis Career budtender training program is beneficial.
A formal training program will help you be successful. Even if you are familiar with the basic properties of cannabis, there remains a wealth of information regarding its history, benefits, and risks, as well as the legal and ethical issues surrounding its use and distribution.
It’s important to realize that not all budtender courses deliver a comprehensive curriculum or a wide breadth of topics—and not all training programs offer certification. Cannabis Career provides both.
Becoming a certified budtender offers additional advantages that will help you quickly launch your career in the cannabis industry in the state of your choice.
Certification Includes the Safety and the Science
Safety is an important consideration for cannabis uses. The Mayo Clinic states that medical marijuana use is generally considered safe. It acknowledges that many states have legalized marijuana use for medical purposes and that research shows it can be effective for many conditions. Cannabis Career stresses the need for those working in the industry to be trained to understand specific safety issues regarding cannabis use.
Then there’s the science of cannabis. Learning about the physical, psychological and medicinally beneficial effects that different forms of cannabis can present in customers is essential for a successful career as a budtender.
When you enroll in the comprehensive program at Cannabis Career, you’ll learn about safety protocols as well as the science behind cannabis use in the body (see our previous article to review all 11 cannabis-related subjects included in our full curriculum.) This includes:
Basic Infection Control and Safety in the Cannabis Dispensary
This course provides you the essential knowledge and practices to ensure the safety of you and your customers while working in a cannabis dispensary.(Learn more)
The Endocannabinoid System
Students gain a deep understanding of the endocannabinoid system and how cannabis produces its physical, psychological and medicinally beneficial effects on users. (Learn more)
Phytocannabinoids
Phytocannabinoids are plant-based cannabinoids from marijuana. Students of this course learn about how these chemicals can impact the human body. (Learn more)
Pharmaceuticals (synthetic cannabinoids)
This course teaches you the origin of synthetic cannabinoids and how these man-made chemicals interact with the same cell receptors in the brain as THC. (Learn more)
The Human Body and Responsive Conditions to Medical Cannabis
This medical marijuana course takes a big-picture look at the human body and the various medicinal effects of cannabis on the different body systems. (Learn more)
Why Choose this Program?
Cannabis Career is one of the leading online cannabis schools helping to meet the growing demand for certified budtenders. As evidence of the program’s value, they offer the only cannabis dispensary technician program nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council on Continuing Education and Training (ACCET) and licensed by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE).
Another reason to select this leading program is because it’s offered at an affordable price, with 100 percent of learning online.
Start Your Budtender Certification at CannabisCareer.com Today
Are you interested in meeting the growing demands of medical and recreational cannabis use by exploring a career as a certified budtender? Find out why this online program continues to impress employers as the industry continues to expand.
If you’re looking for an online program that continually prepares new students for a fulfilling job in the rapidly expanding marijuana industry (with certification in hand), begin your journey today at CannabisCareer.com.