The Washington State Liquor Control Board has publicized a vacancy today for a Marijuana Consultant, the dream job of many in the industry. The State needs such a professional in order to smooth the transition of the formerly illegal plant to legal status. Resumes are more than likely flowing in to the Liquor Board, and the glut of applications for the job, which seems ideal for many, may confound logistics. There has been several unusual occurrences as the Marijuana market in Washington has transitioned from an illegal one, to a legal one. One of the more interesting happenings was the bubble in Marijuana related stocks in the short term after the result of the November vote was announced.
Washington legalized the recreational use of Marijuana in the November elections, but questions still remain about how the State will regulate the herb, and how it will be distributed, the “Weed Consultant” will be instrumental in informing the State Liquor Board about the industry.
The eventual pick for the job will need to be able to inform State bodies about the particulars of growing, harvesting, curing, processing and selling marijuana. The consultant will also need to provide forecasts for demand for Marijuana across the state. The consultant will be paid up to $100,000 per year, and the job will start in March 2013.
Proposals for the job will need to include essays on the topics that require their expertise, in order to display their proficiency to those empowered with appointing a person to the position. The State Liquor board might end up appointing an entire team to the problem, rather than relying on the expertise of one individual.
According to the official document calling for the consultant, the minimum qualifications required are three years of experience in the industry, including experience in growing and harvesting Marijuana, and product safety. The proposal does not discriminate between criminal actions and legal ones. According to a spokesman for the Liquor board, a criminal record will not mean immediate disqualification for candidates.
Economists will, no doubt, be studying the transition in Washington and Colorado. The legalization of an industry as large as Marijuana in a short period of time will certainly make great fodder for case studies. The possible employment of former criminals, once imprisoned for now legal activities, by the State Liquor Board, is an extraordinarily interesting prospect.
It will, at the very least, allow authorities to put a real monetary value on the Marijuana trade. Marijuana experts will also be able, for the first time, to put a monetary value on their expertise, and realize their potential in a new free market Marijuana industry. Marijuana is a product in demand, and in the coming months several people will find their formerly illegal activities earning them legal wages. The taxes they find themselves paying might come as a surprise though.
