Employment

Workers at the Stiiizy Mission dispensary in San Francisco, California have signed a contract with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

Colorado cannabis security firm Helix must pay overtime wages after its case was declined by the Supreme Court. The firm had argued that, because cannabis was federally illegal, industry workers were not protected by federal law.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has allowed a cannabis patient’s lawsuit against her former employer to move forward; the patient alleges she was wrongfully fired due to her cannabis use.

A former NYPD officer is suing the department after being forced into early retirement due to his status as a registered medical cannabis patient. The lawsuit alleges extreme instances of workplace harassment, disability discrimination, and retaliation.

Dispensary workers at Sira Naturals in Massachusetts became the first in the state to unionize after workers there ratified a Collective Bargaining Agreement with UFCW, Local 1445.

A recent study by San Diego State University shows that after-hours cannabis use by employees has no negative effects on workplace performance.

Cannabis workers at Mayflower Medicinals in Holliston, Massachusetts have voted to unionize citing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, management inconsistencies, and a lack of adequate healthcare coverage.

Cann Group in Victoria, Australia has secured a government-funded jobs grant for $1.97 million to upgrade its cultivation/production facility, which could generate 150 local jobs.

Keegan Peterson is the CEO of Würk, a Denver-based cannabis industry payroll and HR software provider.

The City Council in Rochester, New York is reportedly considering stopping pre-employment cannabis drug tests for most city workers.

A former Amazon employee who was fired for using medical cannabis has won a federal court decision that will send the resulting lawsuit back to New Jersey’s Supreme Court, where he has a much stronger shot at winning the case.

Cresco Labs announced it will start prioritizing recruiting new employees from the industries most significantly impacted by the coronavirus crisis.

The New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled that employers cannot fire patients who are lawful medical cannabis patients for a cannabis-positive drug test.

Leafly announced it has laid off an additional 91 employees in response to economic effects from the coronavirus pandemic.

Cannabis media company American Marijuana is offering a $36,000 salary for a full-time cannabis reviewer “dream job.”

A new cannabis jobs report suggests that the industry’s U.S. job openings have risen 79 percent from last year with an estimated 211,000 employees now working full-time in the space.

A former Amazon employee in New Jersey who was fired after failing a drug test for cannabis is suing the online retail giant under a recent state law that prohibits employers from punishing employees for the legal use of medical cannabis.

A study found that three out of four Canadians believe adult-use cannabis legalization has not had an impact on workplace health and safety incidents.

In the almost year since legal adult-use sales launched in Canada, cannabis industry employment has nearly quadrupled from 2,630 positions filled to 9,200.

Nevada is the first state to prohibit employers from drug testing applicants for cannabis use during pre-employment. The governor also signed a bill creating industry oversight boards for the industry.

Connecticut lawmakers have advanced three cannabis bills out of committee: one to allow possession and expunge low-level possession charges, one establishing a regulated marketplace, and one to ensure employers can bar cannabis use from the workplace and to create a DUI test for cannabis.

A report compiled by Leafly and Whitney Economics shows that the cannabis industry, sporting 200,000 jobs and an explosive rate of growth, is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the U.S. economy.

New jobs are concentrated at medium to small companies and large cities.

Liz Gehl is the founder and top recruiter for Gehl Search Partners, an executive recruitment firm that specializes in highly regulated industries like cannabis.