A continuing studies course at Kwantlen that began as a joke has attracted over 500 students who see medical marijuana as a growing industry.

A continuing studies course that began as a joke two years ago has attracted over 500 students who see medical marijuana as a growing job opportunity.

“With 2,000 producers waiting for their licences, there are huge employment possibilities within the industry,” said Laura Armstrong, who has a masters in horticulture science and experience working in cut flower greenhouses. She’s currently completing Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Cannabis Professional Series online course.

“There are only eight licensed producers in B.C. compared to 22 in Ontario.”

Oregon lawmakers are fighting to prevent companies from firing employees who get stoned after hours.

A piece of legislation (Senate Bill 301) has been introduced to the state’s legislative forces that would make it illegal for an employer to terminate a worker simply for using marijuana. The measure takes the issue a step further by stopping businesses from rejecting job applicants simply based on a positive test result for the THC compound.

The new and flourishing business of cannabis is drawing large numbers of women execs. Why does marijuana draw a higher percentage of women than many other industries?

Of all the industries that attract American women to their senior ranks, the marijuana business may not immediately spring to mind as a likely magnet. 

At a school career day event recently, a few students approached San Joaquin Delta College horticulture instructor Michael Toscano and asked him, in so many words: "Can you teach me how to grow marijuana?"

They were serious, he said. With the passage of Proposition 64 last November legalizing recreational marijuana use, a brand-new industry will emerge in the years to come with legitimate jobs for those willing to learn.

Which is why Toscano is now unofficially marketing some of the classes he teaches at Delta as learning opportunities for those who want a future in the pot business.

Those looking for a career in cannabis can check out the Colorado Cannabis Career Summit and Product Showcase on Thursday at the City Hall events venue.

There’s expected to be more than 50 cannabis companies representing upward of 1,000 jobs, according to Vangst, a Denver-based talent agency focused specifically on the marijuana industry.

The summit and showcase take place from 2-8 p.m. Thursday at 144 Broadway. The event is free for people who have a valid MED Occupational License.

If not for pervasive uncertainty about the incoming Trump Administration the cannabis industry would be on a hiring spree.

Election night 2016 will be remembered as a resounding success for those supporting medical and recreational cannabis legalization. Recreational use was legalized in California, Nevada, Massachusetts and Maine. Voters in Florida, North Dakota, and Arkansas all approved medical marijuana initiatives, and voters in Montana realigned the current laws to reflect the patient interests outlined in the original 2004 medical marijuana law.