A medical cannabis grow facility in Amado notified Santa Cruz and Pima counties last week that it is laying off 103 employees. The announcement comes amid reports that medical cannabis sales in Arizona have plummeted as adult-use sales spike.
Thursday's notice from Nature AZ Medicine is required under the federal WARN Act, which provides employees with a 60-day notice before a mass layoff or plant closing. The employees' last day is Oct. 24, according to a Notice of Layoffs sent to officials in both counties.
According to the notice, the layoffs include 43 cultivation production technicians and 32 post-harvest production technicians, along with managers and facilities and maintenance techs. The notice indicates the facility will remain open but doesn't include the total number of employees.
Santa Cruz County Supervisor Bruce Bracker acknowledged the layoffs will affect employees and their families but said it won't have a major effect on the county workforce due, in part, to produce industry jobs that will open up in the fall.
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