Arizona Cannabis Jobs Hit New High for Full-Timers

The first year of recreational marijuana sales in Arizona resulted in the state’s cannabis industry adding roughly 2,600 jobs, for a total of 23,333 full-time jobs supported by cannabis legalization.

This year’s addition of adult-use cannabis sales gave the state’s overall cannabis market a 31% boost over 2020, according to a new job report. Arizona’s licensed medical and recreational stores sold a total of $1.35 billion in cannabis products in 2021, approximately $320 million more than the state’s medical-only dispensaries sold in 2020.

Why the 31% increase in sales, but only a 13% increase in hiring? It’s because the job report factored most of the state’s adult-use hiring boom into last year’s cannabis jobs calculation. In January 2021, many companies had already increased their payrolls in anticipation of recreational sales starting that month.

Arizona voters legalized recreational marijuana via Prop 207 on Nov 3, 2020. The new law allows adults 21 and older to buy, possess and use marijuana. Dispensaries with a recreational license can sell marijuana to adults.

Photos: GarrettSSeeger/Flickr CC2.0 Modified/Leafly