Massachusetts’ marijuana industry is beginning to bud, and that means state jobs in the field are up for grabs. Are you interested in becoming a cannabis inspector?
The opening for a pot inspector was recently posted on the Mass.gov career site. The position falls within the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, which is further divided into four areas: agricultural conservation and technical assistance, agricultural markets, animal health and crop and pest services.
“Cannabis (marijuana and hemp) is a new crop for Massachusetts,” the job description reads. “This inspector position will enforce the laws and regulations involving hemp and overlapping laws and regulations that impact the cultivation of marijuana.”
The state is looking for someone with a bachelor’s degree or higher in agronomy, biology, chemistry, plant pathology, entomology or other related fields, and though the application doesn’t ask if you’re familiar with weed itself, it does say that they’re looking for someone who has “experience or knowledge about cannabis and how it is regulated in other states.”
It was exactly a year ago, in November 2016, that Massachusetts voters chose to legalize recreational marijuana for adults aged 21 and over. Since then, the state has formed the new Cannabis Control Commission, which will draft cannabis regulations and oversee the industry across the state.
The inspector will coordinate with state, local and national agencies, according to the job posting, and will help “create and enforce laws and regulations involving hemp and overlapping laws and regulations that impact the cultivation of marijuana.”
The state also recently posted a job opening for a hemp/marijuana program coordinator as well. That position, also within the department of agriculture, will also coordinate on the state, local and national levels as well as oversee program operations like education, outreach, guidance and rule-making.
The department of agriculture added that “due to the complexities” of the cannabis crop, a lot of research and investigation work still needs to be done, which the pot program coordinator would help with.
