4/20: Hotbox Lockdown
takyon writes:
4/20 in the age of coronavirus, explained
In normal times, April 20 would be 4/20, the unofficial holiday for celebrating marijuana. People would be preparing to rally near state capitols, in concerts, and at huge fairs to fill the air with thick, pungent smoke.
But April 20 this year, on Monday, doesn't come during normal times. With a coronavirus pandemic still going, much of the United States and the rest of the world are staying at home as much as possible to avoid the spread of Covid-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. That means the large crowds and rallies that have previously taken place in Denver, San Francisco, Washington, DC, and many other places around the world are not going to happen.
Yet 4/20 will go on. Before the big day, I got emails from marijuana companies asking, for example, if I was "throwing a virtual 4/20 smoke sesh." (No, I'm not.) One such company advertised "awesome marijuana-inspired Zoom backgrounds so you can tune in and drop out, immersing yourself fully in the 4/20 experience" - in reference to the backgrounds that can be made for the video conferencing service, Zoom, used by workplaces globally and, apparently, marijuana users throwing virtual 4/20 parties.
Coronavirus sends 420 gatherings up in smoke, but potheads still plan virtual toke
In mid-March, as cities across the country began to impose stay-at-home orders, cannabis dispensaries saw a sharp spike in business. Figures from the nationwide cannabis data intelligence firm Headset showed that legal marijuana sales in California skyrocketed 159% on March 16 compared with the same day in 2019. In Washington state, sales jumped 33% on March 15 compared with a week earlier, with purchases of more than $50 increasing from 16% to 21%.
Sales leveled off before they spiked again nearly 50% last week as American taxpayers began receiving financial stimulus checks of up to $1,200 from the federal government, according to Jane Technologies, an eCommerce platform for more than 1,300 cannabis retailers across the nation.
Some members of the legal cannabis industry have joined forces to give back to their communities on 420. In Colorado, Friends in Weed, a consortium of cannabis businesses, has issued a challenge dubbed 420Help that began over the weekend to raise money for Gov. Jared Polis' COVID Relief Fund, which is providing financial assistance to Coloradans impacted by the coronavirus.
The organizers of the event are challenging cannabis businesses and coalitions to donate at least $420 or 4.2% of sales to Polis' funds and for consumers to give $4.20 to the fund. Organizers are also encouraging people to support their favorite dispensary's "budtenders" by providing them gift cards to local restaurants and small businesses.
Virginia Governor Approves Marijuana Decriminalization Bill
The governor of Virginia announced on Sunday that he approved a bill to decriminalize marijuana possession in the state.
The legislation, which would make possessing up to one ounce of cannabis punishable by a $25 fine with no threat of jail time and no criminal record, was passed by the legislature and transmitted to the governor's desk in March.
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