California gave legal status to Recreational Marijuana in 2018, and it is set to spawn countless job opportunities in the government. This is necessary to sustain the new industry that is expected to boost the economy of the state. The hiring would be in the hundreds, and the categories would range from typists to lawyers and scientists.
The positions would have to be filled by 2019 to ensure imparting order to the legal pot economy. The future of this new industry is bright because, by January, California proposes to merge its existing medical cannabis industry with the legalized recreational marijuana industry to create the largest pot economy in the United States.
Marijuana no longer an evil
Los Angeles Times reports that recreational marijuana is projected to be a $7-billion industry and will offer countless job opportunities. In January, California had created the Bureau of Cannabis Control which is the state’s chief regulatory agency. It had a handful of employees to start with, and the numbers are increasing.
There is an expansion on the cards because legal pot economy will bring prosperity in all walks of life and the agency plans to establish new satellite offices to cater to the demands. There is no shortage of funds, and tentative plans are drawn up to recruit the necessary workforce to take care of all aspects related to review and issue of licenses, environmental conditions, etc.
The salary packages on offer are attractive.
Keeping a check
Law enforcement agencies admit that maintaining a check on the cultivation of cannabis, irrespective of its legal status, has always been a matter of concern. In one of the counties of California, there is illegal growing of marijuana. Those who are involved in such activities have scant regard for the law and pollute waterways with pesticides and other waste which is harmful to the environment.
The success of the project will depend on how the administration handles these and other similar issues.
The state and local governments are already seized of the problem and are enacting rules to govern the legal pot economy and will begin to issue temporary licenses in January for recreational marijuana.
The responsibilities of law enforcement agencies will increase manifold because they will have to cover new problems like impaired drivers on the roads.
They will also be required to identify and weed out illegal operators and ensure that legally grown pot does not enter the black market. The California Highway Patrol is already training its officers to identify intoxicated drivers.
