Throughout the United States, while most businesses remain shuttered in the name of promoting safety and social distancing, there are a select few that have been deemed “essential businesses” and are required to stay open. This includes health care providers, law enforcement agencies, gas stations, farms, critical manufacturing jobs… and now, medical cannabis dispensaries.
While the exact wording and reasoning for the “essential” classification varies by state, Washington, New York, Illinois, California, Ohio and several others have all given medical marijuana dispensaries this designation due the fact that cannabis is used by many Americans to relieve a variety of symptoms from different ailments, including anxiety and physical pain relief.
As the world deals with the ongoing effects of the public health crisis, this is proving to be an enlightening and pivotal moment in the history of the cannabis industry. Until now, the industry was still considered “emerging,” and at times dismissed by investors, the public, many forms of government, and the media as a “fringe” industry. While this “essential” designation comes at a challenging time, it does bring a long overdue validity to the space, and moves cannabis even further into the mainstream.
Read more at ibtimes.com