Essential Services: Cannabis in California during the Coronavirus
After a one-day scare, cannabis dispensaries and delivery-services were deemed an ‘essential service’ in San Francisco.
Grocery store...Pharmacy... Gas station...Cannabis dispensary
‘Tis true! During this COVID-19 pandemic, a new “essential service” has joined the ranks: the cannabis dispensary. To help alleviate crowds, many dispensaries here in the Bay Area have even extended their services to include at-home delivery and curbside pick-up.
As seen above, the first few days of the ‘shelter-in-place’ lockdown, saw a surge in cannabis sales as people stocked up for a lengthy stay at home. In Week 2, sales decreased dramatically; something that was to be expected as customers subsisted on their stockpile reserves. In Week 3 of the lockdown, sales in California seem to be leveling back to normal, but it remains to be seen how sales will be impacted by this period’s extensive layoffs and the recent extension of the shelter-in-place guidelines through April.
“Grocery store...Pharmacy... Gas station...Cannabis dispensary”
Headset reports that sales growth in the Edibles category has outpaced the Pre-Roll category, traditionally a customer-favorite. It’s possible that pre-rolls are less appealing as fewer joints are being passed around or that people are stuck inside non-smoking buildings, or are prioritizing lung-health during the corona pandemic.
This will be a game-changer for the cannabis industry, but like everything else, it remains unclear what will happen on the other side. Perhaps we’ll see an increase of first-time consumers? Perhaps many will overcome their fear/stigma of cannabis? What do you think?
Sending a ginormous virtual embrace to all those incredible cannabis service teams out there! Thank you for not giving up.
~Cyn