Fair Cannabis? The Need for Labor Protection in America’s Fastest-Growing Agricultural Sector

For decades, workers have flocked to Northern California and Southern Oregon to help with the fall cannabis
harvest. Some are migrants who include the crop on their seasonal tour. Others are driven by an interest in cannabis culture, or by the promise of lucrative pay for low-skilled work.1 While some cannabis workers (or “trimmers”) have had pleasant, safe and profitable experiences, many, as described above, have not....CAN CONSUMERS “VOTE WITH THEIR DOLLARS” BY PURCHASING FAIR-LABELED CANNABIS?
Not quite yet. I checked with six fair labor labels, sustainability seals and food justice initiatives operating in the United States. Most have not received queries from cannabis producers or consumers, and none currently have plans to expand into the cannabis sector.