When word started to break about COVID-19 and it’s spread, most people started to stockpile food and strangely, toilet paper. Most stoners went straight for their dispensaries. I know I could live without toilet paper, not so much without my sweet, sweet chiba. Just like with TP and grocery stores, the run on some Marijuana dispensaries caused long lines and, in some cases, for some shops to have to close up temporarily. One of the best things that could have happened for Californians is that Governor Newsom agreed that dispensaries were an “essential business”. A lot of people depend on cannabis for many medicinal reasons from pain management to anxiety and much more. The stay at home situation would be a lot more miserable if we had to do it without proper herbal relief, bad enough we have to do it with dirty butts!
Grocery stores seem to have gained control over the crowd situation now that they understand the problem. The government has reassured the people that food and basic supplies aren’t going to be an issue. However, that still has done little to keep the stores well stocked. Most people who I have spoken to have bought at least a months’ worth of food, the same seems to be the same for weed. However, the people in the cannabis industry I’ve spoken to have assured me that there is no shortage of cannabis at this time and none can be seen in the future.
The manager at my local dispensary said that in the initial days of the “Stay at Home” order there was a line out the door, but that was only because they were complying with social distancing practices. According to the manager, a lot of “regular customers” were buying four times the amount they usually buy. The manager of the shop said that, at first, his store was running low on stock but it was only temporary due to the rush by those who were panic buying. He says that there is no need to panic buy but he does recommend customers buying more than their usual amount to limit the amount of time outside and the risk to employees. This particular dispensary has a Lysol stepping pad when you walk in, four anti-bacterial spray misters strategically placed throughout the shop, and a taped off area patients cannot pass. Dispensaries are mandated to practice safe handling procedures and many shops will even deliver to your home. You can download an app like Leafly and find local shops and delivery services in your area.
During these uncertain times, the anxiety caused by COVID-19, and people being forced to stay home, a lot of non and casual smokers have taken to cannabis to help cope. One person who I spoke to, a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) in the medical field, said that she was smoking more and trying to drink less being that alcohol has worse long-term side effects and hang-overs. Her need to be at her best, she said, at work is paramount. “The worst thing that happens when I smoke or eat weed is that I get hungry or fall asleep.” A welcome relief from her day filled with anxiety and stress dealing with sick patients and COVID-19. When it comes to food, she has bought a lot of canned goods and is trying to eat less when she is bored. “I order as much food as I can online to limit my exposure to the outside world, work is bad enough.”
No doubt one of the best advantages of cannabis consumption is it’s calming effect on anxiety. Anxiety is caused by the feeling or realization that you have no control over a situation. Nothing can be truer about the current situation and the state of the nation. I personally urge anyone who is wanting to help control their anxiety to try cannabis to help. The worst part about weed during a quarantine, is that it can make you hungry. Try drinking water when the munchies strike, it usually works for me.
If you are going to stockpile and store weed for the long term, experts recommend a few things:
- Store in an airtight container. Glass is preferred over Ziploc bags. Vacuum seal is recommended for long term storage.
- Keep your weed in a cool dark place. Heat and light can change the cannabinoids in your stash and make it lose its potency as well as shorter highs.
- Keep your weed dry and not too moist. Moisture can cause mold to grow. If your weed gets too dry, wet a cotton ball or q-tip and place it near your weed.
- Do not freeze your weed. Despite the belief that this will “freeze your weed in time”, cold ruins the trichomes in weed, the glands of the plant responsible for producing THC, CBD, and terpenes.
By Bishop Henry