Hey, so you know how pot is legal in some states, but totally not in Texas? Yeah, well, we're not only missing out on those fancy tax dollars, but we're also missing out on some serious business opportunities.

When surveying the dismal unemployment numbers, it may seem a thing of the past, and you may be right -- for your state, anyway. But if you happen to reside in one of the states where pot is legal, job growth is actually a pretty common thing.

You see, folks, when you stop policing an entire plant like cannabis, and allow for it to be legally bought and sold instead, this magical thing happens -- new businesses start to appear -- and new jobs spring forth all willy-nilly. Crazy, I know, but it happens.

And those new businesses and new jobs are happening all over places like Colorado and Washington. Take, for instance, the grow shop. Don't know what that is? Well, it's the place where pot is legally cultivated, from seedling to massive plant. Those shops need folks to keep 'em running.

Or how about the medical aspect of pot? Yep, you guessed it. Medical professionals are needed to diagnose and prescribe, and office staff goes hand in hand with that type of business. So you don't even have to be a medical doctor to land a job in medical marijuana; you just have to be able to set appointments or file paperwork.

But as great as those jobs sound, there are even better ones to be had in the pot industry. Don't believe us? See below. But be careful; the word "budtender" may accidentally blow your mind.

Budtenders Oh, yes. The "budtender." So think bartender, but with bud, and a decidedly less-handsy crowd to deal with. The budtender knows all things bud, from what the strain's potency is to what to expect from the plant. The difference between the flowers, the concentration of the strain, or what an edible is; the budtender knows it all.

They're like a walking encyclopedia of weed knowledge, the budtender, and they see the purchase through from start to finish in the dispensary, doing everything from answering questions about what it's like to be high to weighing the bud and passing it along to the happy customer. In a nutshell, the job of a budtender is a big ball of awesome.

Cultivation Experts Are you a phytochemist? What about a biochemist? A horticulturist? No? Just a closet pot-grower with a serious green thumb? Well, come one, come all -- the legal pot industry is begging for folks who can work in the grow phase of the marijuana biz. You're especially important if you have a scientific background, but even if you're just wanting to bust into the pot business, there are jobs available for growers, trimmers and farm labor a'plenty.

Side note: It's kind of awesome to think of all the Ag and farm kids from Texas heading up to Colorado or Washington in their boots, isn't it?

Delivery Agents Yeah, it's a weird concept for those of us in states where weed is still illegal, but in some states, you no longer have to buy your pot out of the back of some dude's van while looking over your shoulder. Delivery agents are needed to secure the transport of the very legal plants to and from wherever they're ending up -- presumably the dispensaries, the grow shops, or wherever else it's legal to deliver them to.

In reality, we don't live in a state where we can legally drive around a carload of pot plants, so we have no clue where they go, or what you'd be doing other than driving, but it still sounds kind of super awesome, no?

Weed Consultant This is a real, legit position offered by the awesome folks in Washington state, and it is what it sounds like: they need a well-educated stoner to educate lawmakers and elected officials on everything ganja-related. No, you're not hallucinating.

The folks in charge of the state of Washington, who have presumably been abstaining from the underground supply of weed olde, need a lesson in the best practices to grow, dry, test, label, and package weed. Oh, and they also need to know how to get it into food products without it tasting awful. Turns out all those years of perfecting my pot brownie recipes were not in vain, mom. Go figure.

Strain Reviewer Oh, man. The strain reviewer. This job sure is a real thing, despite it sounding too good to be true, and plenty of media outlets and Web sites are hiring pot reviewers to give their critical opinions on the bud being sold in their area. It's hard work, but someone's got to do it, we guess.

Not only are there pot plants to review, but there are editors who are needed to be editing those reviews, and writers to, well, write stuff about the pot industry, too. Cannabis, savin' lives and journalism, one pot job at a time.

Cannabis Marketing So, branding. Everything needs a brand, even pot. And there's a great need for cannabis campaign creators, who can help a strain or a dispensary develop a personal brand. This also seems like an awesome job. What better way to use your business sense than to parlay it into some Cheech and Chong skit that's set in an advertising agency? Well, that's how we picture cannabis branding going, anyway.

There's also a need for account executives and advertising reps who can specialize in cannabis. So if you're in sales, you may want to think about transitioning over to the dark (green) side.

Pot Chefs So, edibles. Edibles are super necessary for people who either can't or don't want to take part in the more traditional methods of inhaling pot. From the legalization has sprung a new industry, which focuses on the art of baking or creating high-end pot edibles. Pot delicacies are in high demand, and if you're a chef or baker with any interest in getting people stoned, you may want to head on down to where pot is legal. Cause chances are, they'll need your expertise.