Also called: Cannabis Analytical Chemist, Hemp Testing Chemist
Tests marijuana and hemp products for strength, pesticides, mold and heavy metals so states can approve them for sale.
You grind up a gummy, extract it, and run it through an HPLC machine to measure THC. Other samples go into a mass spectrometer to hunt for pesticide traces. If a batch fails the state limits it cannot be sold, so growers sometimes push back hard, and you have to stand by your numbers.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in chemistry or biochemistry.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Chemistry, Biochemistry, Medicinal Plant Chemistry.
Growing faster than average. More states keep legalizing, but price pressure hits labs.
Medium risk for 10 years. Instruments and software automate measurement; method building and catching sloppy or faked results stay human.
Classes: Chemistry, AP Biology, Algebra II.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2031.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.