The cannabis industry is growing at an explosive rate thanks to the exposure it has got in recent years. If you are a freelance writer, this could be the best time to dip your toes in this quickly flowing stream.

The cannabis market is no longer a niche. The US Farm Bill (passed in the year 2018) removed cannabis (hemp) from the list of controlled substances. This has opened up brand new job avenues, especially if you are a freelance writer. And if you’re skeptical about the growth of this market, you better look at these stats:

• In 2018 alone a study set the value of the global cannabidiol market at USD 4.6 billion.
• This market is expected to have a compound annual growth rate of about 22.2% every year until 2025.

This exponential growth rate has made it a lucrative option for cannabis growers and processors, its official sellers, dispensaries, and manufacturers. It also creates a rather substantial opportunity pool for freelance writers.

In case you are hard-pressed to find platforms that would be a good start, we’ll help with the search.

Below are the top 10 paying cannabis markets for freelance writers:

Cannabis & Tech Today 
Cannabis & Tech Today is a media site that has its core focus on cannabis B2B technology. The articles they publish are for the technologists in the cannabis industry. The innovation and tech that’s helping the cannabis industry is the core focus of this website. Besides this, they also cover the areas of sustainability, business, science, and culture relating to cannabis.

Pay: For online contribution: $0.05 -0.10 per word (more for high-profile interviews), For print publication $0.15-0.30 per word (more for high-profile interviews)

Contact: submit(at)innotechtoday(dot)com

The Bold Italic
TBI is an online magazine owned by the online publishing platform Medium. It covers everything celebrating the culture of San Francisco and the Bay Area. After the legalization of cannabis, TBI has also started including articles about its cannabis culture.

Pay: $200–300 per story depending on the research required

Writer’s Guidelines

MG Magazine
Also dubbed as “weed’s hybrid of Forbes and Inc.,” MG Magazine is a part of the CANN Media Group that focuses on the growth of the cannabis industry. It’s a preeminent monthly publication that has established itself as a reliable cannabis B2B informational platform. Writers should note that their payment is on publication and varies according to articles’ type and complexity.
Forms of acceptable articles are:
Features (word count 2,000 to 3,000),
Executive profiles (word count 2,000 to 3,000),
Business profiles (word count 1,000 to 1,500), and
Dispensary profiles (word count 800 to 1,200),
Breaking news for the websites (word count 500 to 800)
They also consider other valid pieces as well.
Also open to pitches from photographers, graphic artists/designers, and cartoonists

Pay: Assignment based and done on publication.

Contact: https://careers.mgretailer.com – Seasoned writers are to send her a brief synopsis and examples of published work. New writers and photographers should send a representative sample of their work.

Cannabis Herald
Cannabis herald is an online publication for all things cannabis. It has shown proactive interest in its writers and in expanding its audience base by approaching various mediums of information broadcasting. If you’re looking for a platform with not one but various options for experienced cannabis-related writing and research, this is it. They are always on the lookout for promising new content writers, product reviewers, graphic designers, investigative journalists, etc. It’s a level playing field for all.

Pay: Cannabis herald offers different pay levels for each position.
Content writers: $50,000 – $80,000
Product reviewers: up to $100,000 per year
Investigative Journalists: $50,000 – $80,000

Contact: You can send in your resume through the form present here.

Analytical Cannabis
With the legalization of cannabis, it is important, now more than ever, to have reliable testing proof of the products in the market. Analytical cannabis brings us that and more, all under a single website. It focuses on the cannabis testing industry and posts original articles, news, technical information, and personal views. There’s something for every reader on their platform. As a writer, you could pitch them expert opinions on cannabis cultivation, extraction science, and testing.

Pay: $100 – $400 per piece depending on experience, the scope of work, and delivery timeline (Word limit: approx. 1250 words).

Contact: https://www.analyticalcannabis.com/contact-us

The THC Times
This website has a chilled out vibe across its entirety, not bad for a cannabis information portal. They run casual articles about cannabis, whether that’s product reviews, law reforms, geography, finance, political, etc. They are open to all types of interesting articles covering the cannabis industry.

Pay: 10c per word, with a minimum of 500 words (Word count: 500 – 1000 word range)

Contact: https://thethctimes.com/contact

The CBD Insider
The CBD Insider team has worked hard to establish it as a reliable, unbiased platform for all the information a cannabis user needs. They cover brand and product reviews, CBD related events, consumer data, industry and legislation news, and medical research. They accept guest posts from industry experts or people with significant published experience writing about the specific topic. Word counts typically range from 450 to 2000, with the occasional in-depth research article coming in around 4000 to 5000 words.

Pay: Based on the word count, depth of research, the experience of the writer, and a few internal factors. There will be an agreed set rate before a writer begins. These rates typically range from $35 to $175, with occasional rates above $175 (again for very in-depth research articles). A bonus structure offered to incentivize high-quality writing that requires little to no editing.

Contact: https://thecbdinsider.com/contact – Their typical response time is within 24 to 48 hours. On rare occasions when the team is backed up, it may take up to a week.

Cannabis Tech
Cannabis Tech is a B2B publication that specializes in disruptive science and technology innovations impacting the cannabis and hemp industries. With the various laws and intricacies surrounding cannabis, it is a volatile field that is benefited by publications like these which focus on exclusive and well-researched content. If you wish to pitch your articles to them make sure they are informative, educational, and professional (no slang, profanity, etc) – and written with a formal audience in mind. Any topics about specific companies or products are considered sponsored content and are charged to publish and distribute. (Word count: 400 – 1000 words.)

Pay: They accept pitches and contributions from freelance writers. They pay a flat rate of $75 per 750+ word article once the topics approved in advance by the Editorial Director. Their writers get a byline and an ‘Author profile page’ for portfolio building.

Writer’s Guidelines

TheCannabisRadar
The CannabisRadar is an editorial website that deals with all the aspects of cannabis products. Be it news, product reviews, burning trends, or informative articles, they have it all. They have a steady viewership thanks to their medically authentic and well-researched articles. As a potential writer, you will have to go through thorough screening as they handpick their contributors based on their knowledge. So make sure to put your best foot forward.

Pay: $0.03 per word (basic pay)

Contact:

CBD Today
This is an online information portal especially focused on cannabis health and wellness retailers. Browse through their website to find the latest news, product reviews, or learn and expand your knowledge about CBD. The team is open to thoughtful, well-researched, and well-written freelance submissions pertaining to any valid topic around cannabis. Writers should note that their payment is on publication and varies according to articles’ type and complexity.
Forms of acceptable articles are:
Features (word count 2,000 to 3,000),
Executive profiles (word count 2,000 to 3,000),
Business profiles (word count 1,000 to 1,500), and
Dispensary profiles (word count 800 to 1,200),
Breaking news for the websites (word count 500 to 800)
They also consider other valid pieces as well.
Also open to pitches from photographers, graphic artists/designers, and cartoonists

Pay: Assignment based and done on publication.

Contact: https://www.cbdtoday.com/contact – Seasoned writers are to send a brief synopsis and examples of published work. New writers and photographers should send a representative sample of their work.)

As you can see, there is no scarcity of publishing portals (both offline and online) for freelance writers in the cannabis industry. It’s simply a matter of refining your forte and reaching out to the publishers. Plus, the growth rate of the cannabis market right now makes this the perfect time to pitch in as a writer and establish yourself in this ever-expanding industry.

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Hannah Jones is a Contributing Writer at Crystalwind.ca. She can be reached at: officialjoneshannah@gmail.com

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