BROOKLINE, MASS. (WHDH) - Medical Marijuana dispensaries have been deemed an essential business and are allowed to remain open during the coronavirus pandemic. However, recreational stores have been forced to close prompting new efforts for owners to keep their doors open.
Business has boomed at a number of recreational dispensaries since they started opening over a year ago and it never slowed until COVID-19 hit Massachusetts.
Joe Lusardi, CEO of Curaleaf, runs three shops and said that when Governor Charlie Baker ordered all non-essential stores to close during the health crisis, that meant his stores as well.
“I think it’s going to be devastating and I’m incredibly sympathetic to those that operate small businesses in Massachusetts,” Lusardi said.
He argued that his adult-use only stores do in fact provide an essential service.
“Two-thirds of our customers, we believe, use cannabis for some medicinal purpose even though they rely on the adult-use market,” he explained. “We have a number of veterans that come to our shops – they tell us consistently they don’t want to be in this state database or declare they are cannabis users in fear of losing their benefits.”
So, Lusardi, along with other cannabis advocates, are taking their fight to Beacon Hill, to ask the governor to reverse course.
They are even offering plans to keep everyone safe:
-Restricting sales to Massachusetts residents only
-Offering exclusive hours for people 60 or older
-Mandating that people pre-order online
-Delivering the packages curbside
“There’s no real good reason when you have medical shops open and liquor shops open to not have pot shops that a lot of people use,” Dr. Peter Grinspoon, an Internist at Massachusetts General Hospital said.
Dr. Grinspoon said that during this time of angst in the country, marijuana may be more important than ever.
“In low doses, it really can help accommodate some of their anxiety in this unprecedented time we’re going through,” he said.
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