Pandemic basically changed the way that we did life for the past 2 years or so. Everyone can remember back to the beginning when things took a turn for the worse. As soon as the pandemic made its way across the world and to the United States, life sort of took on a new normal for the time being.
Now, we find ourselves two years out from when pandemic first became active. What have we learned during this time period? Well, for starters, pandemic has significantly impacted our economy and national supply chain. Many people experienced job loss and prolonged unemployment during this time, and it is safe to say that there was plenty of stress and anxiety to go around.
As many of you probably remember, the government even created mandates to shut down non-essential businesses across the United States in order to prevent more people from going out and potentially spreading the virus. One positive product of the pandemic is the advancement of the medical marijuana and cannabis industry in the United States. Of all the financial and economic strain that was placed onto our shoulders during the pandemic, the cannabis industry remained buoyant. In fact, there was a record amount of demand for cannabis during the year 2020, no doubt thanks to some of the effects of the virus.
People were scared and needed an outlet. In fact, the medical marijuana industry was so important that the government labeled it as an essential service that needed to remain open during this terrible time. For many medical marijuana patients around the nation, this was a blessing in many ways. One, it allowed them to remain using cannabis to treat their health conditions, such as mental disorders or chronic diseases. The fact that the government recognized the importance of keeping dispensaries open amidst the pandemic is huge – it means that people are finally starting to recognize and admit the importance of medical marijuana in our medical industry. People have a right to compassionate care and should not have to rely on harmful prescription medications like opioids.
If you don’t believe that cannabis sales increased recently, then take a look at this statistic. It is reported that, across the country, dispensary sales increased by anywhere from 20% to 100%. These are almost unprecedented levels of growth in any industry in recent years. However, many dispensaries had to think fast when it came to continuing to keep up with demand and CDC guidelines for operating amidst the pandemic. That is why, like many other retail businesses and services, dispensaries across the country implemented curbside pickup options and even home delivery.
For medical marijuana patients that have cars, they can simply order their cannabis products online and drive to the dispensary to pick them up – all without ever coming into contact with another human being. However, it is true that not all medical marijuana patients are able to drive (due to certain health conditions or other situations), which is why home delivery was also so crucial during this time.
Hopefully American organizations and government bodies have been influenced by the success of the cannabis industry during this pandemic. When it comes to cannabis sales across the country, the legal cannabis market accounted for approximately $13.6 billion in sales in 2019. Before pandemic came into the picture, it was expected that sales in 2020 would grow to be about $4 billion more. However, the reality is that the United States saw much more money in the cannabis industry than that. I hope that you enjoyed reading this article, friends.
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