Employee Spotlight
Spotlight on Eva Latham
Getting to Know Those within the Missouri Cannabis Industry by Rocco Scarcello , contributing writer
The introduction of medical marijuana to the Missouri market provided a refuge of sorts to some medical patients who wanted to shift away from certain pills and other more traditional medical treatments . Behind the curtains , however , it also served as a new path forward for some medical workers who wanted to stay in a high-impact field but grew tired of the physically and emotionally draining work and thankless hours . Among those who found their way out of the medical field and into the medical marijuana field is 33-year-old Eva Marie Latham — thriving in her new industry and rekindling her love for work again .
“ It was suggested by my dad actually that I should look into being a Pharmacy Technician because I have naturally good customer service skills and that he thought it would be a good fit for me ,” Latham said . “ And so , on that path , I went .”
Before officially entering her first cannabis-industry job in October 2021 , she spent almost a decade as a Senior Certified Pharmacy Technician ( CPhT ) for a well-known pharmacy chain . While it was noble and fulfilling work , it ’ s no secret that medical workers of all varieties and specialties face a serious uphill battle concerning workplace happiness and getting their fair share of time off . In any industry where those two factors combine , toxicity can run rampant , and unfortunately , Latham found herself in that same vortex .
“ Once I was in my 30s , I was finally ready to leave my toxic job in the pharmacy world and head into something new , but that would allow me to use my strengths ,” Latham said . With Missouri officially having joined the medical cannabis revolution and with further expansion on the horizon , the then 30 or 31-year-old was finally ready to leave a field she grew sour on and head towards the greener grass .
“ My first and current job in cannabis is getting to be the supply chain manager for Bloc Dispensary in Belton ,” Latham said . “ This has been my only cannabis industry job thus far . I ’ ve actually never even been into a dispensary in any other state !”
Latham has had no shortage of good experiences with her current coworkers and work situation .
“ Honestly , I LOVE getting to see all of the fascinating new products that everyone is coming out with ,” Latham explained , adding she loves providing their “ wonderful and hardworking ” staff with highly discounted samples to test out and enjoy — one perk of most cannabis jobs .
Eva Latham at her job as supply chain manager at Bloc Dispensary in Belton . You can tell by her great smile that she loves her job and is a joy to work with . ( Photo contributed )
Latham was born and raised in a large suburban St . Louis family and stayed in the area until moving to Kansas City in 2013 . The daughter of two hardworking pharmacists who have been in the field for over 40 years each now , Latham acted upon one of her dad ’ s ideas and found herself considering a career as a Pharmacy Technician .
It ’ s not only the products that Latham has been so impressed by since coming to the industry .
“ It ’ s also a very nice change to be working in an industry where every single person I have met so far has been so chill , with amazing stories of their own ,” she said .
While a year and some change may not seem like the longest time to have spent in an industry , those unfamiliar with how quickly Missouri progressed from medical-only laws into adult-use legalization must