In the first two months after marijuana legalization, Colorado made $3.4 million in new tax revenues, with initial projections estimating another $184 million over 18 months. As more states legalize cannabis, the United States could be looking at a $10 billion industry by 2018. It only makes sense that more and more people are looking into getting involved with medical marijuana consulting and operations. If you’re one of those people, here are a few tips to help get you started.
Determine Your Interests
With an industry growing as fast as this one, there are opportunities opening up all the time. Hundreds of different jobs exist within the medical marijuana industry, but what field interests you the most? Are you interested in medical marijuana cultivating? Do you have a knack for sales and medical marijuana marketing? No matter your interest or specialty, there’s a position out there for you. All you need to do is choose your field.
Invest your Money
If you have the means and want to get in on ground-floor medical marijuana operations, you should look into investing in cannabis real estate, cannabis-extract, or agricultural equipment. Attend industry trade shows, and if you see a business you think is going places, offer to become partners for a percentage or stake in the company. However, be wary of stocks. If you’re looking to get rich quick, this industry is not the place to do it.
Get a Higher Education
If you’re particularly green and looking to start in the industry, going to school is a good idea. Universities like Purdue, Texas AandM, and Iowa State all have schools of agriculture and life sciences, and the University of Humboldt in California has an excellent botany program. However, those colleges won’t teach you about medical marijuana consulting or cultivation. For that, you’ll need to attend additional seminars and classes. If you’re in the Oakland area of California, Oaksterdam University offers basic and advanced indoor horticulture seminars every month, which include four days of intensive instruction, and 26 hours of grow training from expert teachers.
It may seem like a lot of work to get started in the business, but if you’re serious about it then you’ll be learning valuable skills that will lead to your success. With so many opportunities in the medical marijuana field, why wait?
