ALBANY – Some call it grass. Others call it bud. And many call it the hottest new career field in New York.
“This industry is in its infancy and so many things are possible right now,” Tiffany Walters, founder of NYS Cannabis Connect, said. “There’s no better time to get into cannabis than right now, because in five years when everyone else is starting out you’ll already be an expert.”
Hundreds of New Yorkers visited the Empire State Plaza Convention Center on Saturday, getting exposed to the array of career opportunities available in the budding industry as part of the Capital Region’s first Cannabis Career Summit.
A tent was pitched in the corner of the room but not for hotboxing purposes. Instead, participants could interview with employers on-site, potentially leaving the free fair with a new job – no drug test needed.
Want to get your hands dirty in growing and “budtending?” Looking for a job as a packager, tester or researcher? Trying to cultivate a career in cannabis journalism? From plant-touching to ancillary, the fields represented and discussed by the 10 vendors present at the event were vast.
“Some of us like edibles, right?” Walters joked to the audience, pointing out a chef in the crowd that was looking to make a career move.
Attendees could largely be separated into two categories based on their apparel: those that looked like they were headed to a baseball game and those that looked like they had just finished up a shift at a financial advising firm.
Despite their divergence in attire, they shared an interest in breaking into the pot industry while the territory was still largely uncharted.
For decades, pot pundit Zane DeJoseph described having to “be in the closet with weed” due to the drug’s stigma in the professional world. He had the career fair marked on his calendar for the past month and was looking forward to the chance to experience the newfound acceptance regarding the plant’s integration into the workforce.
In his Rensselaer County community, he said most people drive across the Massachusetts border to purchase all things marijuana. He’s happy to see that money now cycle back into the New York economy.
“They should have done this a while ago, but finally New York is catching up,” DeJoseph said. “I’m excited about these opportunities and not having to feel like a criminal anymore.”
With farming experience (in both hemp and more supermarket-friendly produce) and a degree in biology and chemistry, DeJoseph was hoping to leave the convention center with more information on how he could break into the cultivation and testing stages of production.
The event brought in interest from all ages. Recent college graduate, Siddhant Chaturvedi, was hoping to put his business degree to use by sparking up conversations (not joints) with potential employers. He believes New York has the ability to overtake California as the country’s top cannabis producer – and he wants in while he still can.
A social worker named Marissa also perused the exhibitor’s booths. She was looking for a way to use her background in helping people to launch a career in marijuana.
Speakers at the event encouraged people like Marissa to revamp their resumes to attract employers in the industry. No prior pot experience, no problem. Whatever you did in your previous job, the lecturers emphasized, there is most likely a position available that accommodates those skills.
The event was hosted in conjunction by state’s Cannabis Connect and the state labor department. A spokesperson for Cannabis Connect said over 800 people pre-registered for the event, revealing a deep-seated regional interest.
Cecilia Walsh, member of the labor department’s Cannabis Employment and Education Development team, kicked off the speaker series with a “Cannabis 101” lesson on the current status of the industry in New York, highlighting Thursday’s launch of the application portal to become one of the state’s first recreational dispensary owners.
Among other featured speakers were Jumaane Hughes, co-founder of NYS Cannabis Connect, Aiden Coffey, Local 338 cannabis union organizer and David Holland, civil and criminal litigation attorney at Prince Lobel Tye LLP. The event was open to questions from the public.
One gentleman took the mic to ask a pressing question about the drug: “What makes it smell like feces?”
“What you’re smelling, my friend, is dank weed,” David Serrano of the Workforce Development Institute responded.
“D-A-N-K,” a member of the audience clarified, referring to the earthy and woody notes of the plant’s scent that some users compare to a skunk.
The Cannabis Career Summit was one of two marijuana-related events that hit the Capital Region this weekend. The New England Cannabis Convention also hosted a two-day event at the Albany Capital Center Friday and Saturday.
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