Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, marijuana sales in the United States have grown substantially. It may be due to uncertainty that people either decided to stock up and buy more — or perhaps they’re looking for a medicinal way to cope with social isolation.
In Denver, cannabis sales were 140% higher than average on March 23, according to Flowhub data. Recall that Colorado dispensaries are considered essential services during the pandemic.
Legalized marijuana sales in the five-largest markets reached a combined $574.1 million, a year-over-year increase of 15% according to the December Cannabis Retail Price Index (CPI), the latest report from cannabinoid market research firm BDS Analytics.
December’s Cannabis CPI came in at 101.38, a 1.3% decline from the previous month. The index continued to show a positive price trend in pre-rolled joints, while flower, vape, ingestible and dabb-able concentrates experienced negative price pressures.
Marijuana deliveries have long been a heated topic of discussion, with federal governments preventing these motions due to cannabis’s complex legal standing. Now that businesses and global health are being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, medical and recreational marijuana dispensaries are turning to curbside pickup.
Curbside pickup is the middle ground between keeping a business open and providing a much-needed delivery service during this time of social distancing. Costumers call ahead of time, drive or walk towards the dispensary and are met by an employee who hands them their product. While there still is some contact occurring between these people, curbside pickup eliminates the risk of packed stores, which is the worst thing people can do when facing an easily transmissible respiratory illness.
