Despite the fact governments around the world are forcing the closure of businesses in all industries thanks to Covid-19, a few have chosen to keep the flow of cannabis uninterrupted.
When coffee shops were set to close in Amsterdam, lines went out the door and onto the streets. Safe to say that folks didn’t take to kindly to being stuck in quarantine without a readily available source of cannabis.
The world took notice, with hundreds of thousands of people watching videos of locals panic buying stocks of weed for the time inside.
Government’s of New York and California also took notice, with the east and west coast states declaring cannabis dispensaries to stay open. That is, despite the fact bars, shopping malls, and gyms are all shutting up shop.
Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California made the announcement after he ordered residents to stay at home, and for all non-essential businesses to close.
Amando Jones of Kikoko, a cannabis wellness store in San Francisco, said sales were up 130% amidst the impending quarantine.
She mentioned weed being a perfect addition to a time of crisis such as is with Covid-19:
It’s not just a recreational activity. It is something that helps keep people calm. It helps with their anxiety; it helps with sleep; it helps with pain—all of which people need at a time like this.
On the east coast, New York state health regulators declared licensed medical cannabis businesses an essential service, allowing them to remain open.
In the event non-essential businesses are forced to shut-down due to COVID-19, Registered Organizations in the Medical Marijuana Program will be considered essential and allowed to remain open because they are considered medical providers.
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A few more states are following suite with Nevada and Colorado also allowing dispensaries to remain open, so long as social distancing remains in place at their stores.
It’s yet to see whether all states will continue down the same path or not.
In saying that, these announcement by governments in a time of crisis is an overwhelmingly positive sign for the global cannabis industry.
It shows the rest of the world, who are closely following the actions of the US in a modern pandemic, that cannabis does play an important role in their society.