Missouri Marijuana Jobs Cannabis Careers

Let’s talk about Missouri marijuana jobs and cannabis careers. Missouri’s medical cannabis industry is set to grow in terms of revenue and marijuana job opportunities in the near future. Missouri’s medical marijuana sales are likely to start in the summer of 2020. The burgeoning retail business, cultivators, and manufacturers will be looking for knowledgeable cannabis employees in 2020 and beyond.

An Overview Of Missouri’s Medical Marijuana Laws

You’re probably wondering “is marijuana legal in Missouri?” For now, only medical marijuana is legal in Missouri. Recreational marijuana is prohibited, although, a number of municipalities have enacted decriminalization efforts for possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Nearly two-thirds of Missouri residents voted to approve medical marijuana in November 2018. Medical marijuana sales are expected to begin until late summer at the earliest. Before the 2018 vote, Missouri had passed a bill to decriminalize possession of small amounts of cannabis and a bill to allow for the use of CBD oil to treat seizure disorders in 2014.

Missouri’s medical marijuana program is undergoing the finalization of its rules. For instance, the House has passed a requirement for medical marijuana patients to visit a doctor in person to obtain a medical marijuana ID card instead of an online or phone consultation. Another proposal would ban edibles.

Under the law, some qualifying conditions are specified, but doctors can recommend medical marijuana for a “chronic, debilitating, or other medical condition.” Missouri’s list of qualifying conditions to use medical marijuana includes:

• Cancer
• Epilepsy
• Glaucoma
• Intractable migraines unresponsive to other treatment
• A chronic medical conditions that causes severe, persistent pain or persistent muscle spasms, including but not limited to those associated with multiple sclerosis, seizures, Parkinson’s disease, and Tourette’s syndrome
• Debilitating psychiatric disorders, including, but not limited to, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), if diagnosed by a state-licensed psychiatrist
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)
• A chronic medical condition that is normally treated with a prescription medications that could lead to physical or psychological dependence, when a physician determines that medical use of marijuana could be effective in treating that condition and would serve as a safer alternative to the prescription medication
• A terminal illness
• In the professional judgment of a physician, any other chronic, debilitating, or other medical condition, including, but not limited to hepatitis C,
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, Huntington’s disease, autism, neuropathies, sickle cell anemia, agitation of Alzheimer’s disease, cachexia, and wasting syndrome

In order to get a medical marijuana card, Missouri residents must schedule an appointment with a physician to receive an evaluation. A doctor can perform the evaluation to recommend medical marijuana and then residents can complete the paperwork for Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) to receive their medical card.

In Missouri, medical patients are only able to buy up to four ounces of dried, unprocessed cannabis or its equivalent in a 30-day period. A patient can receive more with the two independent physician recommendations.

Why Join Missouri’s Cannabis Industry?

Missouri’s health department awarded 60 growing licenses, 86 manufacturing licenses, and 192 retail licenses. Nearly 350 licenses were awarded in total. Missouri’s cannabis market is set to top $100 million in sales by 2025. Missouri’s flower and concentrates market are set to explode in the coming years.

These cannabis companies are looking for high-quality applicants to join and propel them to gain a foothold in Missouri’s market. In February 2020, the Midwest Canna Expo set up the first-of-its-kind job fair for cannabis employers and applicants. 400 interested individuals showed up looking for a career in the cannabis industry.

Karin Chester, CEO of Midwest Cannaexpos and the Missouri Medical Trade Association said the wide amount of job opportunities ranged from entry-level to healthcare positions and accommodated all experience and education levels. Attendance to these job fairs in Missouri keeps increasing. Another job fair is set to kick off in the summer of 2020 when businesses will be fully operational.

As of March 2020, 35,000 Missouri patients have been approved for medical marijuana use. According to Lyndall Fraker, director of medical cannabis for the DHSS noted that psychological disorders were the number one reason for patient requests followed by chronic medical conditions.

The large patient count is a sign of the bustling demand. Missouri’s medical marijuana industry is expected to create over 4,000 new jobs and have a significant economic impact across the state. Join the Missouri cannabis industry right from the beginning to make a name for yourself and provide medical patients with the relief they need.

Missouri’s Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

Missouri awarded 192 retail licenses for a total of 24 per Congressional district. The St. Louis region alone has the largest share with 68 dispensaries set to open in this area. 40 dispensaries will be opening in the Kansas City area. Cities such as St. Louis, Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, St. Joseph, Springfield, Columbia will bring in various medical marijuana jobs to nearby communities.

Missouri’s Medical Cannabis Jobs

Missouri cannabis jobs will be aplenty. Cannabis jobs ranging from budtenders to accountants to security to sales positions have opened up as the Missouri marijuana job market grows. Medical cannabis jobs include cultivation and ancillary businesses such as banking, human resources, insurance, technology, and more.

Don’t have experience working in the legal cannabis industry? Don’t worry. Online cannabis training significantly increases the likelihood of getting a job in Missouri’s marijuana industry. Here’s a quick overview of the available job positions in Missouri.

Master Grower

A master grower position requires prior cultivation experience, but can pay well in the six-figure range. Some Missouris master grower positions pay between $150,000 to $170,000 a year. Master growers must oversee the entire cultivation process, grow different strains properly, manage a staff, and manage the facility’s budget.

Trimmer

A cannabis trimmer is in charge of harvesting cannabis plants by pruning flowers from the stems. They must also weigh, label, and package the buds and meet production quotas. Trimmers can earn about $15 per hour in Missouri.

Budtender

Budtenders must ensure state compliance within a retail atmosphere and ensure customers find the products they require. Budtenders must know about cannabis strains, cannabis products, and different consumption methods to teach the patient. A budtending position in Missouri could pay about $12 per hour.

Extraction Technician

A cannabis extraction technician is responsible for preparing equipment and cannabis plant material for extraction. They must also operate closed-loop extraction equipment to make concentrates. Experience with extraction methods is a plus. An extraction technician could earn about $15 per hour in Missouri.

Security

Retail security personnel, for example, are responsible for keeping a facility safe. Security guards perform routine facility inspections and ensure dispensary compliance such as checking ID cards. A security position could earn a Missouri resident about $25 per hour.

Other jobs in cannabis marketing, attorneys, packaging, accounting, cooking, and sales are also viable careers that can lead to bigger and better things.

How To Find A Cannabis Job In Missouri

Job applicants must be approved by the state and undergo a background check and get fingerprinted. Applicants must also not have a felony charge on their record. The FBI won’t allow the DHSS to access its federal fingerprint background database for new employees unless its state law.

Missouri’s emerging cannabis market is looking for top talent, which means the 420 job hunt can get competitive. A recruiter could receive hundreds of equally-impressive resumes on any given day. It’s up to you to make your resume stand out from the rest.

Online cannabis training can give you that competitive edge you need to earn an entry-level job in the industry and move up through the ranks. An online cannabis college can teach you everything you need to know about marijuana so you can help customers find their ideal product and begin a career in an exciting industry.

Missouri Online Cannabis Training

Interested in joining Missouri’s growing cannabis workforce? Start your cannabis industry training at Cannabis Training University. We have multiple programs to choose from on topics such as growing cannabis, cooking with cannabis, cannabis extraction training, how to open a dispensary and more.

Our courses feature hundreds of hours of educational and entertaining cannabis videos as well as thousands of pages of e-book content. Whether you’re a visual or reading learner, we’ve got you covered with videos, books, quizzes, and exams to learn all about marijuana.

Join a growing number of CTU alumni who have earned a job in the fulfilling and lucrative cannabis industry. Sign-up for Cannabis Training University’s online marijuana school.