The COVID-19 pandemic has forced government officials to make life-or-death decisions about which goods and services are essential, and which are not.
by Bruce Barcott and David Downs
‘It flows out of the life experience we’ve had with cannabis in our society.’
Steve DeAngelo, co-founder, Harborside
Essential businesses stay open; those not on the list must close to the public.
In state after state, and province after province, regulators have declared medical marijuana essential. This is a watershed moment worth noting.
In California, New York, Washington, Illinois, Massachusetts, Colorado, Nevada, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, governors have closed non-essential businesses, but specifically allowed medical (and sometimes adult-use) cannabis dispensaries to remain open.
That’s a historic change.
