Why Do Cannabis Jobs Increase Around 420?

Why Do Cannabis Jobs Increase Around 420?

Have you ever been curious about the number 420? What does it have to do with cannabis? Why is this number significant? Where did it come from? What does it mean for the industry? Do more cannabis jobs appear for 420 than on other days of the year? If so, why?

What Does 420 Mean?

According to Times Magazine, the most credible origin story of 4/20 began back in Marin County, California. In 1971, five students at San Rafael High School (Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich) would meet at 4:20 p.m. by the campus’ statue of chemist Louis Pasteur to partake. They chose that specific time because extracurricular activities had usually ended by then. This group of guys became known as the “Waldos” because they met at a wall, and they would say “420” to each other as code for smoking cannabis.

Years later, Dave Reddix’s brother helped Dave obtain a gig alongside Phil Lesh, bassist for The Grateful Dead. Further linking the band to helping popularize the term “420”. On December 28, 1990, a group of Deadheads in Oakland distributed flyers urging people to gather and smoke "420" on April 20th at 4:20 p.m. One of these flyers eventually found its way to Steve Bloom, a former High Times magazine reporter renowned for his expertise in cannabis culture, and the magazine published the flier in 1991. This propelled "420" into global recognition as a symbol for cannabis. In 1998, High Times officially credited the "Waldos" as the originators of "420."

How Does 420 Affect the Cannabis Industry?

With all of the history about 420 in mind, it is easy to see why the cannabis community recognizes this date as a national holiday. It has been shown over the years that states with legal adult use cannabis, show an increase in overall sales for the weeks leading up to 420 and a huge spike on the day. People will travel to legal states during the holiday to shop and partake.

BDSA, a cannabis market research company, published an article in 2023 describing the increase of sales in the industry around this time of the year. The insights revealed that daily sales during the week of 4/20 in 2023, falling on a Thursday, surged by 29% compared to typical non-holiday weeks. Similarly, in 2022, when the holiday landed on a Wednesday, daily sales for that week saw a notable increase of 23% compared to other non-holiday weeks. Cannabis Business Times also supported the growing claim stating, that with the 2024 holiday coinciding with a weekend, a scenario unseen since 2019, the industry anticipates a substantial boost in sales this Saturday, projecting them to be 2.5 times higher than any other day in 2024. Additionally, the report shows a notable uptick in customer counts for 4/20, showing a 25% increase since 2020.

Why do Cannabis Jobs Increase Around 420?

The 2024 Vangst Jobs Report found 440,445 full-time equivalent jobs supported by legal cannabis as of early 2024. That job total represents a 5.4% year-over-year increase. America’s legal cannabis industry added 22,952 new jobs over the past twelve months — a sign that the business climate has begun to stabilize somewhat nationally after the turmoil of the past two years.

The past year’s growth was driven largely by steep-curve expansion in young Midwestern markets — Michigan, Missouri, and Illinois — and the moderate growth of East Coast markets like New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Meanwhile, mature markets in the West were hit by price compression, oversupply, and competition from hemp-derived products.

Be on the Lookout for More Jobs!

Even at Vangst, we've seen a significant increase in companies looking to hire new candidates for the day of 4/20. Many companies are expecting to see a spike in sales for the day and are preparing to be fully staffed for the event. This pattern is expected to continue over the rest of Q2 and well into Q3.

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