With 60,000 jobs on the horizon and billions in projected revenue, New York’s cannabis industry is poised for massive growth. But whether that growth will be equitable remains an open, and urgent, question. The industry holds the potential to become a powerful engine of economic opportunity, especially for communities harmed by past prohibitions, but that potential won’t fulfill itself. Without intentional investments in workforce development and a deep commitment to equity, the state risks repeating the very injustices legalization set out to repair.
We believe the cannabis industry must be more than just profitable, it must be transformational. That means putting workforce equity at the center of its growth strategy; not as an afterthought, but as a defining feature. This is the vision championed by the New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC) and its member organizations: a cannabis industry that actively creates opportunity, especially for those harmed by past criminalization.
One example of what this can look like in practice is The Travel Agency, a cannabis store in Downtown Brooklyn. Since opening as the third licensed dispensary in New York City, TTA has hired 200 employees, many of whom come from communities disproportionately targeted by cannabis prohibition. This is how workforce strategy can drive real change, by rethinking who gets hired, how they’re trained and what it takes to advance…