Will legal marijuana stores close? Americans stock up on pot for Coronavirus quarantine

James at The Kind Room said his Denver store is cleaning display counters between each customer, and wiping down doors and handles every few minutes. Workers are also minimizing the number of customers in the shop at any one time, and wearing gloves to reduce the risks from handling cash and IDs, she said. While it’s easy to joke about marijuana users stocking up, many cannabis dispensaries also serve medical patients who depend on pot to ease chronic pain, nausea and seizures. Those patients have turned to marijuana because they feel traditional pharmaceuticals are either too risky or ineffective.

“We believe that we are an essential service,” James added. “Many folks rely on us for depression or anxiety or pain. We feel good about staying open.”

In Northern Colorado, dispensary Organic Alternatives decided to shut despite burgeoning sales for both medical and recreational customers, said Maka Kalai, a company spokesman.

“We were very busy — we saw online orders double and triple what they normally are. But with all of the information that kept coming out, there was just no really way to ensure the distance and safety for our staff and customers,” said Kalai, 41, who is the company’s director of sales and marketing. “It was a hard decision to make. That’s a lot of revenue to turn away, but we really felt it was the right decision to protect our staff and our community.”

Business as Usual

Kalai said Organic Alternatives considered significantly boosting its use of online ordering to help reduce the risk to those customers, but concluded the danger was too high in an industry that’s still largely cash-only and required to check IDs in person. Most states that have legalized recreational marijuana have also banned delivery services, although they are permitted in California.

California-based Glass House Group, which owns four dispensaries, bought two used Toyota Priuses this weekend, and hopes to buy more, in anticipation of increased delivery demand, said CEO Kyle Kazan, 53. He said sales at the stores on Friday surpassed what is usually their biggest annual sales day, the marijuana holiday April 20, or 4/20.

Like many Americans, Kazan was working from home Tuesday, and in between interruptions from his seven-year-old, he said he can understand why people suddenly spending a lot of time with family or roommates would want something to help them relax.

“People are just hoarding up,” he said. “We weren’t totally surprised that everyone rushed in, but all of our stores hit records Friday, and Saturday, Sunday, Monday and today were strong, as well.”

Kazan said he fully expects California to close down retail marijuana stores, which is why he’s pivoting to increased delivery service, especially for the company’s older, more vulnerable customers. By transitioning retail workers to delivery drivers, he said, the company can ensure they keep their jobs and help the public maintain social distancing.

“This is a product people want: guns, alcohol, weed and toilet paper and food. If they don’t get it from us, they’re going to do the wrong thing and go out looking for it,” he said. “We’re in this together and we want to be good citizens. If we can help people do the right thing, keep their quarantine away from the Covid-19 virus, it’s a win-win.”