Coronavirus changing the cannabis game ahead of 4/20 marijuana celebration
4/20 is the biggest holiday of the year for the cannabis industry
4/20 is arguably a pot smoker’s favorite holiday.
It’s also a day when Oregon’s pot shops see a huge spike in sales, and a day the industry plans and prepares for months in advance.
This year, in 2020, all of April is technically 4/20, and it was set to be dope. The industry was really leaning into the marketing of 4/20/20.
But then, the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issued a stay home order a month before April 20, closing businesses and urging Oregonians to stay home. Marijuana retailers were allowed to remain open.
So Oregon dispensaries are still gearing up for 4/20, in anticipation of customers visiting their storefronts the week leading up to the holiday and April 20 itself.
“This was supposed to be the biggest 4/20 that we’ve ever seen – or that’s been available for legal business – and with coronavirus it took all of that and threw it to the wayside and everybody’s been in a guessing game of how this is going to work,” Cannabis Nation Regional Manager Tony Fritts said, “How can we do it socially responsibly or in a responsible fashion? It’s honestly taken all our plans thrown them out the window and now we’re kind of just trying to do something helpful for everybody that’s not adding on to the problem.”
Many pot shops have seen a steady increase in sales from March through April compared to months prior.
According to the Oregon Liquor and Control Commission (OLCC), sales surged in the first couple weeks of March. More people are also taking advantage of weed delivery services and the temporary rule allowing people to pick up their products at the curb.
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