Restaurants & Bars Shutdown Amid Coronavirus, But Marijuana Dispensaries Remain Open

The world is on the verge of complete and total bedlam. This godforsaken coronavirus is spreading with such intensity right now that the American public, well, it just doesn’t know what else to do but launch into full-blown panic mode. All one has to do is step inside a grocery store to see that the proverbial cheese of this so-called civilization of ours has slid right off the cracker. The fear of the unknown has the average citizen stockpiling everything from hand sanitizer to chicken wings. Even toilet paper has become a hot commodity inside the clutches of impending doom. I mean, did you ever think our advanced technological order would see a day when it was virtually impossible to get our hands on basic toiletries? Even Amazon is plumb out!

This widespread shortage of rolled wiping products seems to have sparked an abandonment of hope. Because in this ultra-bizarre rhyme of the great American hoarder, we are now witnessing an anxious nation that has also decided to amass a hefty surplus of hard liquor and marijuana. These folks are presumably of the opinion that if we are, in fact, grinding the very edge of the end of the world, or at the very least going to be forced to stay indoors for a month or more, then we better have plenty of weed to see us through the madness.

Legal marijuana is reportedly flying off the shelves from California to Massachusetts, just in case the federal government imposes mandatory confinement policies like they’ve done in Italy and now France. And while some states are okay with all of this reefer raiding, others, like Illinois, are worried rabid pot-procurers could hurt medical marijuana patients. The state issued a statement last week urging dispensaries to make sure to keep plenty of weed on hand for participants of the state’s medicinal cannabis program. Those people who need weed to combat various health conditions are to get first priority in the Land of Lincoln, the state reiterated.

We’re not just being paranoid. Pot consumers are genuinely at risk of going without weed if they do not stock up now.

Over the weekend, several states announced they were closing down all of the restaurants and bars as a way to keep the virus from spreading. More states followed suit at the beginning of the week. But as for the medical marijuana dispensaries, they shall remain open in places like Pennsylvania, according to the state’s Department of Health. The powers that be are not forcing them to close since they are like pharmacies, “which makes them essential” to the well-being of the people.

The federal government has promised Americans time and again that the nation’s retail drug slinging operations will remain open regardless of how savage the situation with coronavirus might become. It’s good to see states offering medical marijuana dispensaries the same respect.

Obviously, the hope is that health officials will soon get a tight leash on this bug before it spirals even further out of control. But the reality is we don’t know what is going to happen next. The CDC is advising people to keep 30 days of necessities on hand, “just in case.” For most people, those essential supplies include food, water and making sure the Netflix bill is paid up. But for the cannabis community, having a nice stock of pot on hand falls into the category of “must-haves.” Still, if this virus continues to stifle science, it is conceivable that we could see a time when supplies start running thin. So it might not be a bad idea to start thinking about growing your own.

Some states have home cultivation laws in place, which allows adult residents to grow a few plants for personal use. But weed knows no boundaries with respect to the law. It’ll grow just fine, even in prohibition states. Authorities could soon be too preoccupied busting up looters and random acts of violence to be at all concerned about a stoner society growing pot as part of their doomsday rations. One thing you can bet on, we’re getting some Blue Dream into the ground before the sh*t hits the fan. Because we already know there isn’t enough TP to clean up the mess.

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