“EquityWorks Career Hub is a centralized platform designed to support professional growth, inclusive hiring, and networking within the Massachusetts cannabis industry.”
When members of the Cannabis Control Commission and their agency colleagues gave this year’s State of Cannabis in Massachusetts presentation in April, it wasn’t all candy and flowers, with many speakers noting how the industry as well as its regulating body faces certain growing pains.
One highlight of the event signaling movement toward progress though was the public announcement of EquityWorks Career Hub, a “comprehensive digital platform for finding jobs, networking opportunities, and job training in the Massachusetts regulated cannabis industry.”
In many ways, the portal is a central clearinghouse for resources that the commission has built since it was established with equity as a priority. Features include: a function to “view, apply, and interview for positions at adult-use and medical Marijuana Establishments in Massachusetts”; ways for businesses to host virtual job fairs; “peer networking tools to find collaborators by skills, region, or interest area”; and a “monthly calendar of live networking events.”
EquityWorks is now available at no cost to participants in the commission’s equity programs, as well as “non-equity jobseekers, employers, and verified and pre-verified Social Equity Businesses (SEB).” According to the CCC, “the platform will be available exclusively to equity participants until June 19 and will then be open to the public.”
An official statement announcing EquityWorks also noted:
In September 2025, EPCO will begin its next period of live technical assistance for Social Equity Program (SEP) participants, who are individuals most impacted by the War on Drugs, including those who were subject to disproportionate arrest and incarceration as the result of marijuana prohibition. To date, over 1,100 individuals have taken part in the SEP program, which gives participants free technical training, expedited licensing review, fee waivers, and exclusive access to delivery licenses and forthcoming social consumption licenses.
The Commission is also in the process of implementing regulatory changes in accordance with Chapter 180 of the Acts of 2022: An Act Relative to Equity in The Cannabis Industry that will lower barriers to entry for SEP Participants. Among the reforms, the Commission now has oversight over contracts between host communities and licensees and requires inclusive licensing policies at the municipal level. The agency also ended blanket prohibitions that once prevented people with criminal records from obtaining certain jobs in the legal marketplace, in accordance with state law.
“The EquityWorks platform is a community for all, allowing a diverse array of individuals inside and outside the industry to build careers and contribute to the $8 billion cannabis economy,” CCC Executive Director Travis Ahern said. “We encourage anyone interested in a cannabis industry career—or career advancement—to take advantage of this resource, a first-of-its-kind tool for the regulated industry in Massachusetts.”
If you’re using EquityWorks and want to tell us about your experience, please email us at editorial@talkingjointsmemo.com.
