We don’t mean to wax poetic about the benefits of the quarantine. After all, we’re cannabis marketing professionals, not wax poets.
That said, one lovely necessity that was born of the coronavirus lockdown was curbside cannabis sales. Once dispensaries and provisioning centers begin opening their doors again, though, the law will likely put the kibosh on these sales.
This is because, technically, these sales are illegal. (Yeah, it’s all that malarky with the whole “illegal on the federal government level” again.)
With all of the many benefits that have come of these sorts of sales though, it’s apparent that curbside cannabis sales need to be legal.
Why Curbside Cannabis Sales Need to Be Legal
Sure, there are many customers who are looking forward to heading back into their local dispensaries, talking with the budtenders, and having the chance to look over the product again. Even with masks and social distancing in place.
Business owners feel the same way. They’re looking forward to being able to welcome their customers back and provide them with one-on-one consultation.
There are, however, those who’ve found that the benefits of curbside pickup outweigh the positive aspects of going into the stores.
Curbside Pickup Benefits Not Just Medical Consumers
It’s unlikely that marijuana businesses will open their doors and curbside will come to an immediate end. That would be chaos.
Of course, there will be a certain amount of chaos that will ensue once stores do open their doors again because they’ll need to figure out how to do both curbside and in-house sales.
Plus, with OSHA and WHO and the CDC always at odds with one another, cannabis business owners aren’t even sure what rules will be in place once their companies are open again.
Even so, medical and recreational patients alike have found curbside pickup a convenient alternative. Plus, it’s safer. This is especially key for the vulnerable population purchasing it for medical reasons.
Says Jerry Millen of the Greenhouse in Walled Lake, “some people can’t walk or are very sick. For them, it can take up to an hour to get into the store, get their medicine, then get back out to their car or mobile van. Meanwhile, curbside takes about 10 minutes per transaction.”
But even for those who aren’t physically challenged, the sheer convenience of curbside pickup is hard to argue. It would be like telling restaurants that they must stop offering carryout.
Going to Battle
Another reason for keeping curbside is that for as much as it’s been a godsend for many customers, it’s proven to be a seamless way to do business.
“We’ve probably done close to 75,000 transactions in three months and we haven’t had any problems,” says Millen. “Not a single one.”
Mullen is so determined to keep curbside legal, he’s heading to Lansing to testify. And this during a time while he and his staff are going to great lengths preparing to open the store.
“With everything going on, I don’t know how we can get it 100% right,” he says. “As long as a company is trying to do the right thing, there should be no penalties. Especially when we don’t even know what the right thing is.”
Getting Back on Our Feet Together
The pandemic has required every industry to develop safe and innovative solutions.
Curbside pickup was one of those solutions for the cannabis industry and it’s clear now that curbside sales need to be legal.
So here’s hoping that Mullen and the whole industry can keep curbside legal, while also getting the clarity they so deserve.
And if you’re preparing to start increasing operations at your cannabis business, then contact us today for your marketing and public relations. We’ll get you the exposure you need right now.