How to Deal with Change in Cannabis Industry Careers

November 28, 2019

Recreational cannabis became legal for sale on October 17, 2018 in Canada under the Cannabis Act. The very short time that has passed since legalization means that the industry is still improving, developing, and undergoing changes. With Cannabis 2.0 ramping up into 2020 and products like edibles and beverages becoming available, even more changes are on the horizon.

Apart from changes within the industry itself, individual career trajectories, management strategies, and learning curves are also in flux. This makes the cannabis industry an exciting and stimulating professional path, but can also present some challenges. When confronting change in the workplace, having reliable strategies is important to ensure you manage your resources well. These resources can be material, but may also include your time, energy, and team. Read on to learn more about dealing with change in the cannabis industry!

How Change Affects Cannabis Retail Compliance

Regulations change quite often in an industry that is emerging and young. To be able to weather the alterations, cannabis retail companies need to:

Maintain a very high standard of quality in their product
Comply with requirements for federal and provincial regulations
Report inventory each month
Train employees well to ensure proper knowledge in a new industry

Strong leadership is important in maintaining cannabis retail compliance standards. In particular with the issue of training employees well, strong leadership is key. Many people in the cannabis industry are very new to the products and regulations, so as a trained professional you can act as both a resource and motivator to maintain high standards at your place of work.

As regulations change, it’s important to keep high standards

New Products Entering the Space and How to Adapt

With Cannabis 2.0 legalizing edibles and extracts, there will be an influx of brand new items and products on shelves. This creates a learning curve for both customers and professionals. Not only will these be different products, but they will also come in several varieties due to flavouring options. To adapt to these new products, you can:

Gather materials and knowledge to educate yourself, other workers, and the public (if you are in a public-facing role)
Stay organized so that customers can navigate products smoothly

Being able to adapt to a new landscape makes your business stronger as a whole

How You Can Become Comfortable with Change in a Cannabis Industry Career

As an individual, it’s important to be resilient in the face of change. People pursuing cannabis industry careers can expect to encounter new things and go down unexpected paths from time to time. This can seem like a disorienting challenge, but it’s one that can fuel and maintain your enthusiasm and passion for the field. A few ways you can stay positive and motivated during times of change include:

See opportunity. Changes offer learning experiences, give teams a chance to bond and come up with creative solutions, and open up the floor to displays of leadership and innovation.
Be prepared. Develop skills and add to your knowledge consistently, so that when challenges come up, you have as much to draw from as possible. Be ready for changes by anticipating that they will happen.
Be observant. Changes will come—you can see them from farther away if you are listening and watching carefully to what happens around you. This includes listening to coworkers and other people in the industry. The more information you have, the more likely you are to know change is on the horizon.