At a school career day event recently, a few students approached San Joaquin Delta College horticulture instructor Michael Toscano and asked him, in so many words: "Can you teach me how to grow marijuana?"
They were serious, he said. With the passage of Proposition 64 last November legalizing recreational marijuana use, a brand-new industry will emerge in the years to come with legitimate jobs for those willing to learn.
Which is why Toscano is now unofficially marketing some of the classes he teaches at Delta as learning opportunities for those who want a future in the pot business.
No, Delta is not offering courses specifically about marijuana. But the topics covered in general horticulture classes – irrigation, pesticides, greenhouse growing and more – will be useful for would-be career cannabis cultivators, Toscano says.
"The industry is going to happen," he said. "And they’re going to need people who are skilled with plant knowledge.
"As a college," Toscano added, "we have the opportunity to help train people to work in that industry if they choose to do so. This is a crop, and it’s going to be a profitable crop. That’s how we’re treating it. It’s no different than if you want to grow poinsettias."
Exactly how many jobs marijuana might create is unclear. Much depends on how supportive local governments are as they license marijuana businesses.
In a study commissioned by a marijuana investment company, the University of the Pacific’s Center for Business and Policy Research found last fall that anywhere from roughly 1,600 to 20,000 jobs would be created in the Sacramento region. Under the most generous scenario, the cultivation alone of marijuana could be worth about $600 million per year to that area, similar to wine grape growing in Sonoma County.
"Our sense is that there’s certainly going to be significant growth in legitimate jobs," said Jeff Michael, the economist who leads Pacific’s research center.
Many of those jobs may have nothing to do with actually growing the crop, Michael said. There will be workers to process marijuana foods, creams and medicinal products, and workers to sell and distribute those products.
Those who want to get into the field can expect some competition, he said. Many growers may in fact struggle if prices go down as more marijuana becomes available.
"For people who want to get into it, I think it’s going to be important for them to have good horticulture skills," Michael said. "Those in the industry are going to really need to know what they’re doing and be efficient in order to compete."
Someday, growers might find more job opportunities in Stockton, too. Residents in November approved measures allowing a total of four medical cannabis dispensaries in the city and the permitting of four legal cultivation sites.
Up the hill in Calaveras County, supervisors last year agreed for the first time to regulate commercial medical marijuana farms, though the community is deeply divided and the issue is likely to be revisited this spring by new elected officials.
Marijuana remains an illicit drug at the federal level. After reviewing more than 10,000 scientific studies, the National Academies of Sciences last week released a new report summarizing the known health benefits and drawbacks. While marijuana allows for a "significant reduction" in pain and is not linked to the cancers associated with tobacco use, it can inflame respiratory problems, increase the risk of developing schizophrenia and affect learning, memory and attention.
The ongoing debate about the drug’s merits aside, the industry continues to grow. Websites have sprouted listing marijuana career opportunities. Thousands have attended job fairs in California and Nevada, Forbes reported last year.
Back at Delta College, Toscano’s first relevant course, covering the propagation of plants, begins next week. There is still room for the marijuana growers of the future to sign up, he says.
"If they’re going to treat this as a horticultural industry, then we might as well face up to it," he said. "People are going to need these skills, and we have the opportunity to teach them."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Marijuana – A Career Opportunity?
Author: Alex Breitler
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Photo Credit: Calixtro Romias
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