Michigan’s marijuana industry surpasses Oregon in cannabis jobs, report says

More than 18,000 workers are employed in Michigan’s marijuana industry, nearly double the number of cannabis jobs in the state a year ago, according to a new cannabis industry jobs report.

“There are now more cannabis workers than cops in Michigan,” said the fifth annual Leafly jobs report, released Tuesday. “In a state known for its auto industry, the number of cannabis workers is now roughly equal to the number of auto repair mechanics.”

Leafly, a Seattle-based marijuana media organization, uses available revenue and labor figures from licensing records to compile the annual report.

According to the Leafly data, Michigan employs the sixth most cannabis industry employees in the nation and in 2020 increased its share faster than most other states, surpassing the likes of the marijuana legalization pioneer state of Oregon.

“Despite a year marked by a global pandemic, spiking unemployment, and economic recession, the legal cannabis industry added 77,300 full-time jobs in the United States,” the Leafly report said. “That represents 32% year-over-year job growth, an astonishing figure in the worst year for US economic growth since World War II.

“Outside the cannabis industry, the U.S. economy shrank by 3.5%, the unemployment rate almost doubled, and nearly 10 million Americans saw their jobs disappear.” [Read more at MLive.com]