NJ Cannabis Workers Are Making Bank, Study Says: See Average Wages

NEW JERSEY — It wasn’t long ago that if you told someone you wanted to sell weed for a living in New Jersey, they would have given you a blank stare. But the public’s attitude towards a career in the legal cannabis industry is beginning to change in the Garden State, some say … and not without reason.

Last week, engin – a technology platform that help cannabis companies hire hourly workers – released a study that outlines the current wages for typical positions in New Jersey (see the chart below).

Minimum wage in New Jersey is currently at $14.13. But even entry-level cannabis jobs are paying more than that, engin reported. Here are the average salaries of cannabis workers in the state as of March 2023:

• Dispensary GM - $70,000 to $80,000
• Cultivation manager - $65,000 to $75,000
• Dispensary manager - $55,000 to $65,000
• Extraction technician - $23 to $38 per hour
• Processing associate - $20 to $22 per hour
• Packaging associate - $19 to $21 per hour
• Cultivation associate - $18 to $20 per hour
• Post-harvest production - $17 to $19 per hour
• Budtender - $16 to $18 per hour

According to engin, marijuana-related jobs in New Jersey are all paying above the national average (which may be a good thing, considering the state’s above average cost of living).

Want to get your foot in the door of a growing industry? The best thing to do would be to join a local organization like the New Jersey Cannabusiness Association, or attend events like Cannademix career fairs, which are run and produced by New Jersey locals who understand the market, CEO and founder of engin Sloane Barbour said.

Job seekers may also want to create a cannabis resume on websites like www.careersincannabis.com, Barbour suggested. Read More: NJ Marijuana Jobs: Tips For Getting Hired In The Cannabis Industry

Barbour acknowledged there is still a lot of stigma surrounding cannabis in general after “100 years of propaganda and prohibition.”

“Certain people will judge you for supporting cannabis, consuming cannabis and working in cannabis,” Barbour told Patch.

But many people will also turn their noses up at you for working at a bar or a church or a gun store, Barbour pointed out.

“While this has changed for the better over the last 10 years, there will always be people who prefer to judge other people versus focusing on their own lives and issues,” Barbour said. “My take is that if someone is going to negatively judge you for trying your hand at a career in a new industry, learning new skills and doing something you're passionate about – that person is probably not someone you want to work for, or even want in your life.”

“Haters gonna hate,” Barbour quipped.

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RUTGERS POLL: NJ ATTITUDES ON CANNABIS

Last week, the New Jersey State Policy Lab at Rutgers-Newark released the results of a poll that tried to draw a bead on residents’ current attitudes toward cannabis. See the full report here.

The poll – which interviewed 2,000 people in the Garden State – revealed that 78 percent of people agree that marijuana’s medicinal benefits outweigh any potential risks and harms. About 58 percent said the same about the benefits of recreational use.

Nearly 55 percent of respondents reported smoking weed at least once.

The survey is one of the first to gauge Jerseyans’ attitudes and usage since voters approved the recreational sale of marijuana in the fall of 2021 by a wide margin, joining 20 other states that have done the same. Read More: 5 Things You Need To Know About Marijuana Legalization In NJ

“The main thrust of the data is, basically, a very large percentage of residents thinks it’s okay to purchase and use marijuana for personal consumption,” said Charles Menifield, professor and dean emeritus of the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University-Newark.

“The findings are consistent with citizens’ perceptions based on their votes approving the ballot referendum,” said Menifield, who authored the report with Yong Chan Rhee, a doctoral student at the university.

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