Marijuana Salaries Explained: How Much Money Can You Make?
The below is a small amount of information on cannabis salaries. If you are looking to get into the Dispensary side, check out our training. A full 4 hour class on this check out our Nationwide Budtender Training, Cannabis Basic Training or Advanced Cannabis Training. Check out HempStaff’s Hemp and Marijuana Job Openings.
The legal marijuana industry raked in $9 billion in the US last year, It’s estimated to continue growing to $21 billion per year by the year 2021. This trend has created plenty of cannabis jobs and other cannabis careers with large marijuana salaries.
Are you wondering just how much money you can make working with marijuana? Here’s an overview of the most popular cannabis industry jobs and the salaries they pay.
Marijuana Cultivation
Marijuana cultivation is where everything begins. This is where you’ll find some of the highest-paying marijuana jobs. However, working in cultivation also requires a special set of skills.
Cultivation requires in-depth knowledge of growing techniques and the latest technology. You’ll also need to know the various strains of marijuana and the unique demands of each.
The most common jobs in marijuana cultivation include Master Grower, Junior Grower, and Bud Trimmer.
Master Grower
The master grower is often one of the highest-payed position in the industry. This person is primarily responsible for overseeing the cultivation of these high-value plants. They’re also responsible for an array of critical tasks including:
- Managing all grow house employees
- Dealing with compliance inspectors
- Interacting with DEA and local law enforcement
The average salary for a master grower ranges from $80,000 to $150,000. This often well exceeds the average botanist salary for non-marijuana-related jobs.
Junior Grower
A junior grower or a master grower in training works directly under the master grower. This person is primarily responsible for successfully growing the plants. Duties include planting, cloning, feeding, and proper watering.
Junior growers can expect to earn salaries in the range of $30,000 to $70,000.
Bud Trimmer
Bud trimmers are responsible for manicuring the plants. This includes hand-trimming the buds during harvest season.
Bud trimmer is an excellent entry-level job. It’s a great way to break into a marijuana cultivation career with plenty of room for upward mobility.
No formal education is typically required for this position. The average bud trimmer salary is $20,000 to $25,000 per year.
Cannabis Production
In simplest terms, marijuana production is the process of retrieving the marijuana plants from the growers and processing them into cannabis products. Some of the jobs in this area include master extractor, extraction technician and packaging/delivery drivers.
Master Extractor
Master Extractors oversee the entire production facility and are responsible for turning cannabis buds into oils and concentrates. This job requires basic advanced scientific knowledge. Extractors spend most of their time working in a laboratory. This person is responsible for all administrative functions and managing all of the employees working in the production plant. Master Extractors typically earn between $60,000 and $100,000 per year, but some with a PHD and years extracting in other industries can command as much as $180,000 per year!
Extractor Technician
Extraction technicians’ jobs are available to learn the techniques of the Master Extractor. Often times this will be someone right out of college that has the extraction knowledge, but not the specific as they relate to cannabis. It may require a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, engineering, or a related field.
Entry-level technicians typically earn between $45,000 to $75,000 a year.
Packaging/Delivery Drivers
Packaging and delivery drivers typically assist extractors. They package products and deliver them to area dispensaries. To qualify for this position, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be over 21 years old
- Have a valid driver’s license
- Have a valid vehicle registration
- Have auto insurance.
As with all this positions, you must also will to go through a background check. The hourly wage usually ranges from $13 to $21, with full-time positions paying around $25,000 to $45,000 a year.
Dispensary Sales
Marijuana dispensary jobs give you the greatest opportunity to interact with the general public. These positions include both medical and recreational marijuana sales. The two most common dispensary jobs are managers and budtenders.
Dispensary Managers
Dispensary general managers oversee all functions that take place within the dispensary. Some medical marijuana facilities may even require this position to be filled by a physician, nurse, or pharmacist.
Responsibilities include:
- Interacting with vendors
- Dealing with law enforcement
- Managing inventory
- Handling returns
- Hiring, managing, and training budtender
A bachelor’s degree is usually preferred for this position, and some experience in retail management is a bonus.
Average pay is a wide range from $40,000 to $95,000 per year. Assistant managers support the general manager and can expect to earn marijuana salaries around $31,000 to $40,000 per year.
Budtenders
Budtenders are the marijuana equivalent of bartenders. During a typical day as a budtender, you’ll spend most of your time working face-to-face with the end customer. A budtender’s primary job is to provide knowledge and advice about the cannabis products available and ensure the customer has a pleasant buying experience.
A working knowledge of cannabis products such as Dopeboo’s CBD edibles, is required, and retail and customer service experience are a big plus! You’ll need a social personality to thrive in this position. As an entry-level position, this job usually pays around $12-16 per hour. The overall budtender marijuana salaries typically ranges from $25,000 to $35,000 a year.
Staff Accountant
An accountant in the marijuana industry handles many of the same duties as they would in any other business.
This includes:
- Filing taxes
- Creating and reviewing budgets
- Handling payroll
The many rules and regulations surrounding the marijuana industry makes the position more complex. Most marijuana salaries for this position are in the range of $40,000 to $75,000.
Administrative Staff
Administrative staff members are often in charge of office duties like:
- Verifying MMJ cards
- Maintaining patient records
- Answering the phones
- Handling customer inquiries
This is an excellent entry-level job for those with good organization skills.
Entry-level administrative staff working in the cannabis industry earn an average salary of $25,000 to $35,000 per year. Depending on the duties you’re responsible for, this job offers some room to grow.
Get the Skills You Need for Dispensary Jobs with high marijuana salaries
If you’re ready for a fun, high-paying career, it’s time to start exploring dispensary jobs near you. Hemp Staff offers state-customized, classroom-style budtender training and certification.
How can you find a hemp or cannabis job using HempStaff?
Register with us and upload your resume. To qualify in most states and countries, you must have NO felony convictions on your record. Also, you do not need to be a medical marijuana cardholder to apply for hemp or cannabis jobs. We will reach out when a job matches your skills.
Looking for current HempStaff Job Openings?
Check out our Hemp and Cannabis Job Board and apply directly from there.
New to the Cannabis Industry?
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Need help with your resume?
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