Anyone perusing job opportunities with the federal government likely raised their eyebrows this week after a job listing was posted this week seeking pot farmers.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is seeking skilled, large-scaled marijuana farmers to analyze, store, and distribute the drug. Hired applicants must have a secured storage facility that can hold at least 400 kilograms of cannabis and must be approved by both the Food and Drug Administration and the DEA. They must also be currently be registered to handle Schedule II substances and below, as well as be able to get permission to manufacture, research, or distribute Schedule I substances.
Outdoor cultivators must have at least 12 acres of land that is secured by video, while indoor cultivators must have 1,000 square feet of space with controls for temperature, humidity, light intensity, and carbon dioxide concentration. However, applicants can choose whether they want to grow pot indoors or outdoors.
Shirley Simson, a spokesperson for NIDA, said the organization “will consider proposals from any responsible offers.” She explained that the opportunity has come up because its current contract for marijuana farms will expire next year. Any new contracts will likely be for one year, but could move to four-year options if hired applicants demonstrate they can turn a profit.
It might be a job that infamous news reporter Charlo Greene will want to consider applying for. She went viral last week by declaring on-air that she would be leaving her job to continue owning the Alaska Cannabis Club and pushing for legal recreational marijuana throughout the state.
After that announcement, Greene declared, “Fuck it, I quit,” and walked off-camera. She later explained in a YouTube video that she left her job because “there comes a time in each and every one of our lives when we must choose to continue to spectate, or stand up for what’s right.”
