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12 Hartford Business Journal • October 28, 2019 • www.HartfordBusiness.com By Joe Cooper jcooper@hartfordbusiness.com T im Granhan is pursu- ing a bachelor's degree in business, but he's not seeking a job in insurance or advanced manufacturing — two industry stalwarts in Connecticut. Instead, the 44-year-old former nurse is hoping to move up the ladder with his current employer: Curaleaf Connecticut, one of the state's four licensed medical marijuana growing businesses, which he joined this sum- mer as a packaging specialist. Granhan, an Enfield native, said he sees major growth opportunities working for the Massachusetts- based marijuana giant, which plans to expand its workforce at a larger, 60,000-square-foot production facility in Simsbury by year-end. "I've been fortunate to come to this company where it's still early in its lifespan," said Granhan, a medical marijuana patient who previously worked as a nurse at a variety of minimum- and maximum-security prisons. "As the company is grow- ing, I think there are going to be many opportunities in sales, mar- keting and quality control to make sure we have the perfect product going out. So, I'm having an incred- ible opportunity to cross train in a lot of different areas." Granhan is one of many workers testing new career opportunities in Connecticut's six-year-old medical marijuana industry, a nascent but growing sector that is trying to find and train a workforce largely unfamiliar to the state. There are currently 3,290 can- nabis-related jobs in Connecticut in retail, cultivation, processing, manufacturing, testing, wholesale and distribution, according to New Frontier, an industry research firm. The state has 15 retail dispensaries and four growing facilities. By 2025, the state is expected to employ more than 6,300 cannabis workers, as production facilities and dispensaries see more demand from a steadily growing patient population. Federal or state adop- tion of recreational marijuana would fuel additional production and dispensary jobs. Gov. Ned Lamont recently said he will consider a regional approach with New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania to legalize recre- ational pot. In response to the industry's projected growth, UConn this year adopted the nation's first cannabis- growing course to prepare stu- dents for a variety of industry jobs in Connecticut and elsewhere relat- Budding Workforce As CT's medical marijuana industry grows, finding, training workers creates challenges, opportunities (From left) Christine Brevigleiri, Nicole Leja and Tim Granhan, of Curaleaf Connecticut in Simsbury, are trailblazing new careers in Connecticut's medical marijuana industry. HBJ PHOTO |STEVE LASCHEVER