WINOOSKI, Vt. — In Vermont, Medical marijuana reforms are turning into reality and beginning to have real impacts on Vermont patients, dispensaries, and caregivers, and the public at large. With the addition of a new dispensary in Bennington and the four new ‘satellite’ dispensary locations being opened by existing license-holders, there are already dozens of new legal medical marijuana jobs being posted and filled, with even more on the way.

Earlier this week, the Champlain Valley Dispensary (CVD) and Southern Vermont Wellness (SVW) website employment section featured over ten diverse job postings in both Burlington, Brattleboro, and the cultivation facility in Milton and presently have listings for two available job openings: a Part-Time Extraction Technician and a full-time Dispensary Manager.

Per the Vermont state regulations, applicants must be at least 21 years old and pass a criminal background check and an FBI finger print background check.

According to management at the Vermont Patients Alliance (VPA), VPA is also expanding its operations with a satellite location in Hartford and additional cultivation facilities in central Vermont. Currently, VPA employees twelve full and eight part-time Vermonters, and plans to hire another ten plus — including more senior management positions — in the next year. Most of their employees are between the ages of 25 and 45, receive a competitive benefit package, and incentives to continue their education in Cannabis science and Medicine.

PhytoScience Institute (PSI), the newest dispensary, is expanding its operations with plans to open a dispensary in Bennington with cultivation facilities in the Waterbury area. PSI will be hiring ten new employees who will enjoy competitive benefits and wages. PSI is currently looking for employees with experience in the medical field, including individuals with clinical herbal knowledge, to staff their Bennington dispensary.

Heady Vermont estimates there are presently at least 150 cannabis professionals currently employed in Vermont in various capacities, including the four existing medical cannabis dispensaries, testing and extraction businesses, hemp cultivators, hemp product-makers, and ancillary businesses such as security, consulting, and professional services for startups.

Per Vermont Public Radio, the medical marijuana registry has doubled in size every two years since the laws were originally passed ten years ago; however, the hemp sector is growing even faster: since 2014, the number of acres of legal hemp registered for cultivation in Vermont has increased from 17 to 562 total acres.

The increased interest in hemp cultivation and growth of the small number of pioneering hemp businesses already operating in the state is also contributing to the growth and diversity of legal cannabis jobs available in Vermont.

To promote the growth of the legal cannabis industry, Heady Vermont will be hosting the first Cannabiz Pitch Competition on Tuesday, November 14, 2017 at Main Street Landing in Burlington from 6-9pm. This ‘Shark Tank’-style pitch competition will feature young startups and new entrepreneurs sharing their business ideas with one taking home a $1,000 cash prize.