Article link: https://www.leafly.com/news/industry/covid19-marijuana-companies-help-leafly
Published on March 31, 2020, this article highlights the various ways in which the flourishing U.S. cannabis industry is productively responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturing and donating essential supplies to at-need community services (hospitals, police, etc.) across the nation. In fact, they were able to do this simply by repurposing the industrial equipment already used to produce cannabis concentrates, topicals, and other products. Additionally, various cannabis farms were able to donate large amounts of personal protective gear, such as surgical masks, gowns, and gloves, to the healthcare facilities experiencing a shortage of these supplies. As for medical dispensaries and the handful of recreational dispensaries that remain open, several are donating a generous percentage of their earnings to relief funds. Although the majority of recreational dispensaries were required to halt cannabis sales in light of the pandemic in many states, they have still joined this effort nonetheless: transforming into fully operational food drives and banks almost overnight for those in need.
