COVID-19 Outbreak: Why L.A. Marijuana Dispensaries Will Remain Open
California residents don’t have to worry about missing out on their marijuana during the state-wide coronavirus quarantine.
While “non-essential businesses” are shutting down and residents are being asked to stay home, marijuana dispensaries are able to remain open as they are deemed “essential businesses,” CNN reports.
On Thursday (March 19), California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all 40 million residents of the state to stay at home to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, which has afflicted 1,057 people there, killing 20 so far, according to the Los Angeles Times. That comes in addition to L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti issuing a “Safer at Home” emergency order until further notice to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
In Garcetti’s order, Los Angeles’ "cannabis dispensaries with a medicinal cannabis license" listed under "essential infrastructure" or "healthcare operations" are exempt from closing.
“We need to bend the curve in the state of California,” Newsom said, CNBC reports. “There’s a social contract here, people I think recognize the need to do more ... They will begin to adjust and adapt as they have been quite significantly. We will have social pressure and that will encourage people to do the right thing.”
Prior to the emergency order, marijuana sales in California were already increasing. According to the Orange County Register, sales at Bud and Bloom, a dispensary in Los Angeles, increased 30 percent within the last week.
As “non-essential businesses” in California close for the coronavirus quarantine, Newsom might have boosted marijuana sales moving forward.
