The line wrapped around the block as customers waited to enter In Good Health, one of Brockton, Massachusetts’s dispensaries, and stock up on marijuana products.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker instituted a shelter-in-place order on Monday and announced that all “nonessential businesses” must close through at least April 6 so the state can better contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. As soon as he heard about Baker’s mandate, one Brockton resident ran to the nearest dispensary, waited nearly an hour to get inside, and spent $250 on a half-ounce of marijuana.
“I knew I should get over here before the line got too crazy,” Jim, who withheld his last name, told the Enterprise. “The line already doubled in size since I arrived. Normally, I walk right in and out in less than five minutes. It’s way more packed than I’ve ever seen it.”
Medical marijuana sales are still allowed to continue in Massachusetts, but like many of the state governors who have implemented stay-at-home orders, Baker concluded that recreational marijuana is not an essential part of everyday life. As a result, sales have spiked across the country over the past few weeks as customers rushed to make last-minute purchases that would get them through the quarantine.
In Oregon, sales were 75% higher than normal, according to cannabis data company Headset. And in Colorado, the amount of marijuana purchased was 29% higher last week. Multiple stores told the Associated Press that people are buying marijuana in bulk in exactly the same way others are buying toilet paper and meat.
“People are buying four or five items instead of one or two,” said Jim Mullen, owner of The Herbery, which operates two stores in Vancouver, Washington. “People are asking what the legal limit is.”
Everyone has their priorities — and their coping mechanisms.
