Bay Area Marijuana Lab To Hire Hundreds

BERKELEY, CA -- A Berkeley marijuana lab recently said it would hire hundreds of employees as it grows. The lab joins other California marijuana companies as the industry is expected to grow by tens of thousands of employees.

Steep Hill Labs told ABC7 it plans to go from 30 employees up to 200 soon. The lab inspects cannabis products, the news station reported.

ABC7 reported the growth of the company means it will have to find a larger office space. It's considering moving to Alameda.

Oakland-based research firm The Arcview Group said the massive increase in hires isn't unique. It expects California to have nearly 99,000 new cannabis-related jobs by 2021. The number would be just one-third of jobs nationwide.

About 146,000 jobs overall will feel an indirect affect from the marijuana industry, Arcview Group said.

Across all states where the recreational use of marijuana is legal, there will be an increase of nearly 300,000 full-time jobs.

“The economic excitement around the legal cannabis industry is no longer just theory,” said Troy Dayton, CEO of The Arcview Group. “Due to the giant impact adult-use legalization is already having in the United States, it’s vital for key stakeholders to understand the full impact of legalization, beyond just retail sales numbers.”

The group also estimates that the "total economic output from legal cannabis will grow 150% from $16 billion in 2017 to $40 billion by 2021."

--Photo via Pixbay/Herbalhemp