Job fair held for 3 new medical marijuana shops

Three new medical marijuana dispensaries under the name, Blum, are hiring ahead of their grand openings later this year.

 

The first one will be open by March 1. The other two are set to be open late April or early May. All three of them will be located one mile from the Las Vegas Strip.

 

Hundreds of potential applicants sat around at The Palms hotel-casino Sunday afternoon. They texted, ate, and did anything they could to kill some time as they waited for their names to be called to interview for a job to work at one of the three new medical pot shops.

 

"I know what affects my body," said job applicant Jimmy Maffessanti. "I know how it affects me health wise and I can give that information to other people if they need it."

 

Another applicant, Lisa Spearman, says she wants the job badly because of how passionate she is about the medical marijuana industry.

 

"It can help strengthen people who are sick and who can't get up and have a regular life so it can help in so many ways," said another applicant Lisa Spearman.

 

Spearman says, after her daughter was diagnosed with ADHD, and prescription pills didn't work, she turned to medical cannabis.

 

"When she smoked, she went to school and she did well," said Spearman. "Nobody knows that. I'm telling America that now."

 

Hundreds with views similar to Spearman's tried to become a part of this booming industry.

 

"It should be plentiful. It should be right on the shelves with the cereals, all the vegetables! It should be right in the produce aisle. I'm serious. That's how I feel about it!" said Spearman.

 

Applicants will interview for seven different types of jobs, ranging from "bud tenders" to delivery drivers. Starting pay is $13-$14 plus benefits. Retail experience is preferred, but not required.

 

The CEO of Terra Tech says lots of training will be given as part of the hiring process.

 

"We're really not that much different than a traditional retailer whether it's a restaurant or a nightclub or a clothing store," said Terra Tech CEO Derek Peterson. "Just a more interesting product."

 

Peterson is confident with the direction the industry is going.

 

"I think in this economy right now, especially if we're in this point where we might be dipping back into a bit of a recession, this happens to be an industry that's got a little bit of a recession-proof aspect associated with it. So I think job seekers are looking for something like that right now," said Peterson.

 

Applicants should find out in two weeks whether they are hired. But there's still time for people to apply online on Terra Tech's website.