Oregon's legal marijuana market so far has translated into an estimated 2,100 retail jobs and could amount to $46 million in wages this year, though many of the jobs are part time and lack benefits, according to a new report prepared by two Portland-based industry insiders.
They attempt to examine the economic impact of the state's newly regulated cannabis industry.
Sam Chapman, a marijuana industry consultant and lobbyist, and Beau Whitney, an economist and executive with a dispensary and processing company, said they focused on the retail aspect of the burgeoning regulated market, noting that it's off to a "strong start."
Based on their survey of dispensaries, the pair estimate that overall monthly sales jumped from a total of nearly $11 million last September for medical marijuana only to about $23 million in October, when recreational marijuana sales began.
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