Newsbrief: Industry jobs drop for first time

The number of people employed by the cannabis industry fell for the first time, according to the annual jobs report released by staffing firm Vangst and Whitney Economics.

While cannabis employment dipped 3.4% to 425,000 in 2024, the industry posted $30.1 billion in legal retail sales -- a 4.5% increase year-over-year. The report notes flexible staffing and temp-to-hire models surged, especially in cultivation and processing roles . . .