WASHINGTON -- Medical marijuana has been considered a growth industry, with far-reaching benefits beyond the patients.
In some cities where medical-marijuana programs are in place, real estate agents, garden suppliers, irrigation and hydroponics experts and security operations have seen a boost.
In the nation's capital, where District of Columbia officials are implementing a medical-marijuana law and recently announced the selection of six companies to grow and supply cannabis, there's also bubbling interest in jobs with those companies.
After writing a story in The Washington Post about the city's selection of medical-marijuana companies, including one part-owned by talk show host Montel Williams, reporter Tim Craig received a number of calls from job seekers.
Regardless of who eventually gets those medical-marijuana jobs, the National Cannabis Industry Association is celebrating the city's selection of medical-marijuana cultivators and is touting the economic benefits the city will see.
"These businesses will create good jobs and generate tax revenue, a welcomed alternative to the unregulated, untaxed underground market," said the NCIA's director of public affairs Tom Fox, according to marijuana news site Toke of the Town. "So this is not only good news for patients, but also good news for the District's economy."