When San Francisco’s shelter-in-place order was announced on March 16, many city residents ran to the grocery store to stock up on things like canned goods and toilet paper. Other residents went straight to their local dispensary. “The day of shelter in place was the busiest day we’ve ever had,” said Eliot Dobris, a spokesperson […]
Policy & Legal
Environment, Health and Safety from Home, Resources to Rely on while Social Distancing
You are a cannabis industry professional navigating the “new normal.” You have scheduled a productive day of workbooks, crafts and electronic device time for the children. You have negotiated workspace allowances with your cohabitants (“You can pace the family room on your calls all you want, but the kitchen table is mine!”). A professional coffee […]
Cannabis Business in the Wake of COVID-19
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact individuals and businesses throughout the world, cannabis businesses in the United States once again find themselves confronting their own set of unique challenges. On the one hand, many State and local jurisdictions throughout the country have designated cannabis businesses as “essential businesses” that are permitted to continue to […]
Vermont medical marijuana dispensaries stay open, but some limit hours
Just hours after Gov. Phil Scott issued a “stay at home” directive Wednesday shutting down all but “essential” businesses, a panel of lawmakers discussed whether medical marijuana dispensaries in Vermont would be permitted to stay open. Sen. Dick Sears, D-Bennington and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he’s been hearing a lot about the […]
Halt of Mass. recreational marijuana sales is followed by layoffs, concerns about future of emerging industry
Earlier this month, a letter was reportedly distributed to employees of Cultivate Holdings, a medical and recreational marijuana dispensary in Leicester. The letter dated, which was March 18 and was obtained by MassLive, noted that the outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, was rapidly evolving. The letter offered some options to employees: […]
Massachusetts medical marijuana centers now allowed to offer curbside pickup for patients during COVID-19 pandemic
As officials work to limit the spread of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, the state Cannabis Control Commission said licensed Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers will be able to offer curbside pickup to patients and caregivers. The CCC has issued an administrative order that temporarily authorizes medical dispensaries to offer the curbside pickup. Earlier this week, medical marijuana companies were deemed essential businesses […]
COVID-19 could cancel Missouri recreational marijuana campaign, says activist group
The future of an effort to get recreational marijuana onto Missouri’s November 2020 ballot is “unclear,” according to a statement circulated early Saturday by Missouri attorney and cannabis activist Dan Viets. Viets is the state coordinator for the pro-cannabis group NORML and is an advisory board member for Missourians for a New Approach, the entity […]
Marijuana deliveries skyrocket during coronavirus crisis in Las Vegas
Before the coronavirus outbreak, Thrive Cannabis Marketplace in North Las Vegas was making about three dozen deliveries a day. But with dispensaries only permitted to offer delivery service after nonessential businesses were ordered closed, Thrive is making several hundred deliveries a day. “Previously, deliveries were a very small portion of our business,” said Ashley Blackwood, […]
How recreational weed went from illegal to essential in 3 months in Illinois
Throngs of high-minded shoppers started flooding pot dispensaries when sales of recreational weed kicked off in Illinois at the start of the year. Less than three months later, that type of mass clamoring is strictly forbidden as social distancing measures have been put in place to quell the spread of the novel coronavirus. In the […]
Cannabis finds its moment amid coronavirus outbreak
States across the country now consider pot shops “essential” services and anxious Americans are flocking to them. Cannabis is turning out to be the one thing the coronavirus can’t destroy. Marijuana sales are booming, with some states seeing 20 percent spikes in sales as anxious Americans prepare to be hunkered down in their homes potentially […]
