Denver proper has the most jobs for sure.
What type of pay rate can a person expect to start at. I have about 2 years of hydro experience and know pretty good what I'm doing ??
And moving from NY do I need to get a license or something. I read that there are 2 levels of jobs for the cannabis industry ????
i know several dispensary owner / manager types
you need a badge from the dept of revenue marijuana enforcement division. there are 2 levels of badge, one for lower tier workers and one for managers and up. both require extensive background checking, etc. the worker badge is $75 and the key badge is $250. you will not be able to apply for these badges until you live in colorado and you will not be able to get a job w/ pot until you have a badge.
you are unlikely to walk into a grower's position. you will likely need to start as a trimmer or budtender unless you have some special training or education like accounting or legal work or something else you can do besides an entry level position as a trimmer. trimmers and budtenders should expect to make between $10 & $14 / hour depending on experience.
a regular person 21 or older may grow 6 plants only 3 of which can be flowering.
a medical license also allows the same 6 plant deal but with specific recommendation from a doctor one may grow more than 6.
i really couldnt speculate as to the existence of a true black market. sure transactions between friends take place but i dont think thats a real black market. a grey market maybe.
people dont grow for plenty of reasons. many just dont want to deal w/ putting in the work. many people rent and landlords arent favorable to growing pot in their apartments, especially hydro. i can say that the biggest headache ive ever seen a friend experience as a result of growing in an apartment was when a friend's upstairs neighbor's hydro system malfunctioned and sent 110+ gallons of nute solution into the ventilation between their apartments where it then spread through the system and rained down into every room in her place. im sure it cost that guy as much or more as one retail harvest not to mention his eviction...
If you wanna come here to make bank on weed good luck. Your not the first and won't be the last. 9 out of 10 will end up wishing they never moved. The only ones making real money are the state, dispensaries and grow equipment suppliers.
You have to be a state resident for 2 years before you could qualify for an MMC license so starting up right away even if you have funds isn't happening.