The cannabis industry is driving Alaska's agriculture sector, and the growth will continue over the next ten years, according to a report published in the October edition of "Trends" magazine from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
The agriculture industry is the only sector that did not lose jobs during the pandemic, and that was because of the cannabis industry, according to the report.
"The still-small industry added 73 jobs from 2019 to 2020," according to the report. "That was slower than it grew the year before, but that it grew at all in 2020 when big losses were the norm, is notable."
Alaska voters approved adult-use cannabis in 2014. The industry has grown 524% since 2016, according to the report.
"We project the broader agriculture sector will add 657 new jobs from 2020 to 2030, with 578 of those in greenhouses, a massive 86.4% growth rate for greenhouses and 42.9 percent for agriculture overall," the authors of the report said.
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