Cannabis is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States. While this fact may not be surprising to anyone involved in the industry, for many, the cannabis industry is still underrated and undervalued. Because of the incredible growth in the cannabis industry coupled with its relative infancy, the workplace safety expectations that exist in other industries are still being established. ACS Safe is working to clear up any questions about the industry and fill any gaps that may be appearing. Why would gaps appear, you may ask? Perhaps due to the sheer size of the industry.
How big is the cannabis industry?
A recent report by cannabis catch-all site Leafly found that cannabis supports 243,700 full time equivalent jobs. In fact in 2020, which by all indications has been a down year for the general economy, the cannabis industry has added 33,700 jobs. This growth is a result of new states like Oklahoma and Illinois entering the recreational cannabis market and still large growth in established markets like Oregon, which saw a 19% year-over-year increase in sales in 2019.
What does employee safety look like in the cannabis industry?
Because cannabis is still a Schedule 1 narcotic under the Controlled Substances Act, making cannabis federally illegal, the industry has far less regulation from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Because of this, each state is left to create its own workplace regulation to protect employees in the cannabis industry. In a recent edition of the Annals of Work Exposures and Health, University of Washington Prof. Christopher Simpson spoke about how with the speed of growth in the industry, gaps in regulation are beginning to appear because the state regulations were not developed to meet the demands of the industry in its current state. Simpson, who is a part of UW’s Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, says that it is the federal government’s responsibility to meet the health and safety regulation requirements for the cannabis industry.
How does this relate to ACS Safe?
ACS Safe’s pointed goal is to provide first rate personal employee safety to workers in the cannabis industry. We exist to provide peace of mind to employers, employees and all who love them that something has their back when leaving the lab late at night or opening the grow site early one morning. Simply put, ACS Safe is here to protect your greatest asset... your people. Want to learn more about how ACS Safe can provide industry leading employee personal safety solutions for your cannabis business? Sign up for a free 1-hour demo today and see why ACS Safe is the perfect solution for you.
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