A constant stream of people kept walking up the ramp toward the 14th Avenue Freedom Market in Longview, Washington Thursday. Despite the coronavirus, or because of it, they just had to have their weed.
Only five people are allowed inside at any time, and every now and then staff had to usher out the new arrivals, asking them politely to wait while the existing customers were helped.
In a time of fear and uncertainty, many people apparently are toking away their anxieties.
“We have seen an increase in business,” Freedom Market manager Jeremy Weikum said. “People are really unsure what’s gonna happen. It’s better to be prepared than sorry, you know?
“It’s definitely gotten busier.”
Other shops have seen a similar uptick.
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“Definitely people are freaking out and getting their stock up,” said Eli Richey of LocalAmster, another Longview pot shop.
There is also potentially a fear, perhaps irrational but perhaps not, of a mandatory lockdown in Cowlitz County despite there being no official cases here.
Richey said some people are fearful that a mandatory lockdown could be imposed, like the one in the San Francisco Bay Area, even though Longview as of Thursday still did not have a confirmed case of COVID-19.
“Everyone has heard about San Francisco and the lockdown there,” he said.
However, worries about the disease have just drummed up purchases of weed.
“I am an every day customer of the Freedom Market,” she said. “I come in about once a day, and I have not stopped coming in here.
“I don’t foresee me stopping my daily routine. If they do lock us down completely, then I’ll be in my house. But until then, until they tell me it’s not safe to be outside, I’m gonna continue to be outside.”
Cannabis retailers in Clark County also have reported an uptick in traffic, according to the Columbian. The pot industry is seeing the opposite problem of most businesses, which are announcing voluntary closures and cutbacks to their hours, and pot shops are adjusting their practices to prevent the spread of the virus.
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“We’ve had much higher than average sales since last Friday,” said Jim Mullen, co-owner of The Herbery, which operates two locations in Clark County.
It’s not just a question of higher customer traffic, but also greater individual sales. State law limits how much cannabis individual consumers can purchase, and Mullen said many customers have started to push their tickets right up to that limit.
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“People are stocking up,” said Adam Hamide, co-owner of Main Street Marijuana, which operates two Vancouver locations. “They don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Local dispensaries say they have stepped up efforts to keep their stores clean and germ-free.
Freedom Market, for instance, didn’t put out new menus like usual and politely discouraged them from touching the ones already laid out. Employees wore gloves behind the counter, as well.
At LocalAmster, employees make an attempt to clean up after customers leave, hoping to alleviate any concerns they may have.
“We’re being extra careful to clean up after every customer leaves to stay safe,” Richey said.
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