Trump’s crackdown on marijuana could cost more than a quarter million jobs in America

A report from New Frontier Data was published explaining that by 2020 the legal cannabis market will create more than a quarter of a million jobs. This figure creates more job growth than manufacturing, utilities, or even government jobs put together. This is what the marijuana industry hopes will change Trump’s thoughts about marijuana. Job growth.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer spoke on marijuana use at a briefing on Feb. 23, resulting in a panic amongst marijuana industries. At the briefing Spicer went on to comment that states will see a “greater enforcement” of federal laws on recreational use.

Spicer stressed several times in his speech that there is a big difference between medical marijuana and recreational marijuana.

“The president understands the pain and suffering that many people go through who are facing especially terminal diseases, and the comfort that some of these drugs, including medical marijuana, can bring to them,” said Spicer.

Medical marijuana had been the front-runner in money making for the U.S.  yet now with recreational marijuana legal in seven states weed has become even more profitable.

A woman smoking marijuana recreationally in Amsterdam. Photo courtesy of miss.libertine

The legal cannabis market was worth $7.2 billion in 2016 but is projected to grow exponentially, at an annual rate of 17% according to Forbes. 

Spicer compared recreational marijuana to opiod addictions calling out that there still needs to be a federal law in place.

“When you see something like the opiod addiction crisis blossoming in so many states around this country,” said Spicer, “There is still a federal law we need to abide by in terms of recreational marijuana.”

Advocates in favor of the legalization of marijuana say the crack down of recreational marijuana would leave thousands of people out of work. Forbes pointed out in a recent survey that about 100,000-150,000 people have jobs that directly involve legal weed. Another concern amongst advocates is instead of profits falling in the hands of the government they would instead fall into the hands of drug cartels.

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