U.S. States with Cannabis as an Essential Business During Coronavirus Pandemic
Many businesses have been forced to close their doors during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, among the list of essential businesses, many cannabis stores have been deemed essential in states where recreational adult-use and medicinal use is legal.
Here is a breakdown of those states with cannabis dispensaries currently listed as an essential business, be it recreational or restricted only to medical marijuana dispensaries.
Recreational and Medical Cannabis Still Open
- Washington
- Oregon
- California
- Nevada
- Colorado
- Alaska
- Illinois
- Michigan
Medical Cannabis as Essential Only
- Montana
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Minnesota
- Oklahoma
- Louisiana
- Florida
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- New York
- Washington DC
- Delaware
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- Connecticut
- Rhode Island
- Massachusetts
- Vermont
- New Hampshire
- Maine
- Puerto Rico
- Hawaii
A Call for Nationwide Legalization
Americans in states with cannabis as essential business are currently heading to marijuana dispensaries to equip themselves with enough cannabis for the upcoming period of quarantine and social distancing. Consequently, it has become increasingly clear that marijuana is a necessity. As Grove Bags CEO, Jack Grover recently told Greenhouse Grower, COVID-19 has shed light on Americans supporting full adult-use legalization and the normalization of cannabis in general. Jack says, “It’s a civil rights issue, it’s a states rights issue, and I think we’ll see a shift change soon that mirrors the liquor industry in that it’s going to eventually controlled by and taxed by the state for the greater good of society.”
The Importance of USA-made and FDA-approved Cannabis Packaging
There is now an increased demand for cannabis essential businesses like dispensaries to quickly get their products in the hands of consumers. As a result, USA-made packaging plays a crucial role in closing the gaps that may exist in packaging supply that have opened with the current disruptions in Chinese supply chains. This is especially true for businesses that previously outsourced their packaging.
As people continue to head to dispensaries to stock up for the weeks to come, they will require compliant FDA-approved packaging that properly preserves their medicine long-term.
As a domestic cannabis packaging business, Grove Bags is more of an essential business right now than in the past. We have made it our top priority to get packaging into the hands of product suppliers both within the cannabis space and industries outside of it as quickly as we possibly can to help ensure consumers can still get medicinal products like cannabis that they need.
