DENVER, CO - April 25, 2016: The large concentration of marijuana dispensaries on Broadway, south of Denver, have lead to the area being dubbed the "Green Mile." The pot shop owners on the avenue formed the Green Mile on Broadway Trade Association as a local community business association and marketing campaign. (Photo by Vince Chandler / The Denver Post)

Pot businesses are now headhunting employees who specifically have experience in Colorado weed

Now that more states are legalizing marijuana, businesses outside of Colorado are plucking talent from the Rocky Mountain state that was the first to go recreational, says Karson Humiston, founder of Vangst Talent Network.

Humiston’s firm has had its headhunter services tapped by businesses seeking a variety of workers with experience in Colorado.

“Quite a few different clients have hired us to do this,” she says. “And it’s interesting, because I was initially expecting it to be mostly (jobs such as) head grower — that type of position. But we’ve seen it for COOs, CEOs and even managers.”

Humiston joins Cannabist editor-in-chief Ricardo Baca on The Cannabist Show to discuss this trend and to what extent these out-of-state firms are willing to shell out for the Colorado-bred experience.

“We had a client in Las Vegas relocate somebody from Colorado, gave them a pay increase of $20,000 and a relocation package,” she says.

The job candidate, who had experience managing a large dispensary in Colorado and already was interested in relocating, took the job and now serves in a district manager capacity managing three stores in Nevada, Humiston says.

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