By According to a recent report published by the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, individuals who recently entered the cannabis industry, particularly former lodging and food service employees, received higher salaries than their previous jobs.
According to the report, there will be 151 cannabis dispensaries in New Mexico as of the fourth quarter of 2022, with 112 operating as recreational dispensaries or online platforms. It also recorded 21 cannabis operators with licenses, 10 processors, 4 wholesalers, and 4 companies classified as “all other sectors.”
With that data in mind, the state employed 4,666 workers during that period, with 4,122 working in businesses and 171 working in cultivation. Cannabis companies were found most in Bernalillo County, followed by Doña Ana, Santa Fe, and San Juan counties.
The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions analyzed cannabis employment data relative to non-cannabis employment. The agency wrote that 39.3% of New Mexico’s jobs in the fourth quarter of 2022 were cannabis-related, while 35.5% of the state’s workforce worked in other industries. This includes trade, transport, public services (11.1%), leisure and hospitality (8.4%), education and medical services (4.4%), professional and business services (4.2%), and other Includes many categories. .
One line chart compared cannabis and non-cannabis wage records. “One of the reasons members of this group leave their previous jobs to work in the cannabis industry is to obtain higher wages,” the report said. “Analyzing their wage records shows that their average weekly wages have increased since they entered the cannabis industry.”
In Q4 2022, the average cannabis worker was earning $560 a week. “We then compared this average weekly wage with the wages of all private sector workers in the fourth quarter of 2022,” the authors continued. “The average weekly wage for all industry sectors except accommodation and food and beverage services was over $560. The average weekly wage for this industry was $474, with a difference of $86. , showing that the grass in the cannabis industry is greener.”
As of April 2023, New Mexico’s recreational cannabis industry has amassed over $300 million. Recreational cannabis sales will go into effect in April 2022, during which time regulators issued an estimated 2,000 cannabis licenses statewide (633 retail licenses, 351 producers, 415 small producers, and 507 manufacturers). “In just one year, communities across the state have generated hundreds of millions of dollars of economic activity, the number of businesses continues to grow, and thousands of New Mexicans are employed in this new industry,” said New Mexico Governor Lujan. there is,” he said. Grisham in April. “I look forward to seeing what the future holds as we continue to develop an innovative and safe adult cannabis industry.”
In April, a cannabis job data company Vangust It released an annual report on job growth and declines in specific cannabis markets. States with the largest increases in cannabis-related employment included New Mexico, including Missouri, Michigan, New Jersey, Florida, Montana, Ohio, Massachusetts, Maine and Illinois. In 2022, New Mexico showed an increase of 2,532 cannabis-related jobs, a 63% increase from the previous year. As of February 2023, there were 6,565 total cannabis-related jobs.
in the meantime Vangust Data show that many states, including New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Montana, have allowed legal health and recreational industries, resulting in fewer jobs in states such as Colorado. starting. Overall, the states that lost the most jobs to cannabis include California (12,600), Colorado (10,481), Oklahoma (7,224), Oregon (4,278) and Nevada (3,276). , including Arizona (1,737 people).
