Althouse: "In over a dozen states, marijuana dispensaries and pot shops have been deemed essential services and remain open through lockdowns..."

April 10, 2020

"In over a dozen states, marijuana dispensaries and pot shops have been deemed essential services and remain open through lockdowns..."

"... and illegal deliveries are also on the rise. This worries medical experts, who say smoking and vaping damage the lungs, worsening symptoms and helping to spread the virus.... 'Our business doubled: Every day is a Friday,' said the owner of Jack Flash, a[n illegal] cannabis delivery service in New York City... Buyers must retrieve their product and complete the transaction in the car, the owner said. 'Some people now don’t want to get in the car,' he said. 'Obviously we don’t want to do a hand to hand out the window, it just looks crazy.'... 'Well, I don’t want to touch anything, I don’t want to come out,' the owner of Jack Flash said, mimicking his customers. 'Then I say, "Well, then you don’t want pot."'... 'I have done a couple where I’ve left it in their mailbox and they’ve left money in the mailbox,' the owner said. 'I’ve done two or three like that.' Some deliveries have been made using the 'hand out the window' method, but Jack Flash’s owner has warned his staff not to get arrested.... 'That’s kind of a death sentence right now,' he said."

From "Staying Safe While Delivering Weed in the Pandemic/Legal and illegal cannabis sales have spiked, even though doctors warn that smoking and vaping worsen symptoms and spread. These businesses face a new problem: keeping employees safe" (NYT).

70 comments:

Josephbleau said...: The Governor of New York should be able to ban illegal marijuana sales during the crisis.; 4/10/20, 4:12 PM
Michael K said...: It would take a heart of stone, not stoned, to not laugh when the dopers get SARS-CO-2 and can't breathe.; 4/10/20, 4:12 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Why should I sacrifice my money, my time, my energy, my children's well-being and my civil rights to [theoretically] save these idiots, again?; 4/10/20, 4:14 PM
Tom T. said...: Note the implication that ordinarily, getting arrested is no big deal.; 4/10/20, 4:16 PM
Howard said...: Pants: I, my, my, my, my, my.; 4/10/20, 4:17 PM
MadisonMan said...: And yet most COVID2 stats don't include whether the dead used Pot.; 4/10/20, 4:21 PM
pacwest said...: Close the liquor stores. Keep the pot stores open. Priorities.; 4/10/20, 4:21 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Howard, you're right, I should volunteer everything I have worked to build, save and protect for strangers who can't even bother to take care of themselves.

After you, of course.; 4/10/20, 4:30 PM
bagoh20 said...: * a man being fined $1000 for surfing alone in the ocean

* a man being handcuffed and detained for playing T-ball with his young daughter in an empty park despite the fact that there was no order in effect precluding it

* Parishioners fined for attending church in their cars with the windows rolled up.

* and numerous others like that where people are harassed, fined, arrested or publicly attacked for not socially distancing while they are, in fact, socially distancing, but apparently enjoying themselves too much.

When I see these stories, I see proof of what many of us object to with this response: the very real danger that people, when given power over others, cannot resist abusing it. The idea that a cop would approach you, breath on you, ask to hold things in your possession, or physically restrain you to protect you and others from contact when you had none before they appeared is clearly just a ruse to exercise power for it's own sake. It seems to often be some kind of ego thing with authorities, either cops or their bosses, who just can't resist the thrill of exerting power over innocent people, even requiring them to violate their own rules and justifications. When we take extreme measures to control other citizens who are doing us no harm, we do them, ourselves, and our social fabric real damage. We should know the danger of power and self-righteousness by now, but we keep forgetting the lessons throughout history.; 4/10/20, 4:30 PM
Dave Begley said...: That ship has sailed.

The policy of the Democrat party is bread, circuses and drugs. Keep'em doped up and they'll vote for us; especially if they had a shitty government school "education."; 4/10/20, 4:31 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: And, Howard, I'll note that you snarked [poorly] but did not answer my question.; 4/10/20, 4:34 PM
The Godfather said...: @bagoh20: And that's just the cops. How about the Governors?; 4/10/20, 4:34 PM
bagoh20 said...: "The Governor of New York should be able to ban illegal marijuana sales during the crisis"
I think that's covered by the word "illegal".

Shoot on sight. It's the only way to be sure.

What the hell is happening to us? Look at the numbers. This craziness is not warranted. If it is, then imagine what will be justified and by what from now on. See what we are willing to throw away out of fear.

I've asked it a couple times and no answers so far:

If the common flu can kill as many or even more than this virus, what do we do about that every year from now on?; 4/10/20, 4:38 PM
Birkel said...: The plan to shut it all down and cancel all the things doesn't seem quite as serious when politicians are driving the decision making. So they cancel things that are painful and put 30-50 million people out of work. But we can all get high with our respective drugs of choice.

This is approved by all the people who don't want everybody's respective grandma to die.; 4/10/20, 4:39 PM
Lurker21 said...: Takeaway from this: Go for pot eatables. Or use it in baking. At least until that is banned.; 4/10/20, 4:44 PM
narciso said...: very Huxleyan, have your daily soma,; 4/10/20, 4:45 PM
rcocean said...: A dangerous drug that would never be approved by the FDA, is now deemed 'essential'. We need to look at who is profiting from all this legalized MJ. Look into the growers and investors in "Big Marijuana".; 4/10/20, 4:51 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: It’s time to take back our freedom and civil liberties and tell the authorities to go fuck themselves.; 4/10/20, 4:55 PM
Fernandinande said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/10/20, 5:02 PM
Fernandinande said...: Let's all jump to self righteous conclusions!

"Smoking marijuana moderately over years is strongly associated with small improvements in lung function, even compared to people who have never smoked cigarettes or marijuana, according to a study in JAMA."

There a lot of research to the same effect. Try a google. Or not, wouldn't want to get confused by facts.; 4/10/20, 5:03 PM
Ken B said...: It's funny when “what about jobs” turns into “who cares”. Some jobs are unimportant, just as some lives are unimportant I guess.; 4/10/20, 5:17 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: When does the rebellion start?; 4/10/20, 5:17 PM
Birkel said...: These folks and many more should be at work, of course.

It's just that we must shut down ALL the things, except ones that have political constituencies.; 4/10/20, 5:22 PM
Ken B said...: “ Pants: I, my, my, my, my, my.”

She does do a convincing Obama doesn’t she?; 4/10/20, 5:25 PM
bagoh20 said...: In business like mine there are constant challenges of costs, quality, customer demands, competition, etc., but the biggest and most frustrating challenge I endure on a constant basis is the need for some people to just stick their nose into other peoples business and try to fuck them over somehow, especially if the target is enviable in some way, like higher paid or better looking, happy, etc. I have some employees who just have this overpowering need to do this. I have to constantly remind them that getting in that person's business is not why I'm paying you to be here, it makes you look like you don't have anything important to do, they don't have any similar concerns about you, and it's a pain in the ass to deal with. Leave your fellow man or woman the fuck alone, and mind your own business.; 4/10/20, 5:32 PM
daskol said...: It's the same reason that liquor stores were essential: people in captivity need their entertainment, and also cities are realistic about measures necessary to separate addicts and their substance of choice.; 4/10/20, 5:33 PM
bagoh20 said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/10/20, 5:36 PM
bagoh20 said...: I went to the liquor store yesterday. They were closed except for deliveries, but when the owner saw me, he said, I know you. Come on in. I had the place to myself. C'mon man, that's real power!; 4/10/20, 5:38 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: “ Pants: I, my, my, my, my, my.”

She does do a convincing Obama doesn’t she?

A compelling answer to my question.; 4/10/20, 5:44 PM
Birkel said...: Let us trust the government.
https://pjmedia.com/trending/breaking-fbi-knew-before-mueller-probe-that-hillarys-steele-dossier-was-russian-disinformation/

Well, I mean sure, they lied to us before.
But this time they're on the up and up.
No chance the government would do a poor job on the really important stuff.

Let some unelected bureaucrat decide what is essential.; 4/10/20, 5:50 PM
Birkel said...: Narciso's link shows the Michigan governor banning the sale of seeds to grow your own garden.

Trust that the government will get it right.
We cannot trust individuals, I have been assured.
Trusting people means you want to send grandma to Dachau.

The answer nobody wants to give "Pants" is yes.
You must give up yours to strangers because reasons.
And also people are scared and excitable but also need to get high.

Waiting in those lines makes sense; waiting on line to vote was super-dangerous.; 4/10/20, 5:55 PM
StephenFearby said...: NY Post April 10, 2020

Any type of smoke inhalation — including weed — is a coronavirus risk

'Experts are warning smokers that even occasional puffs are damaging to the respiratory system, which could worsen symptoms associated with COVID-19.

“Because it attacks the lungs, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 could be an especially serious threat to those who smoke tobacco or marijuana, or who vape,” says the National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA] in a recent announcement...'

https://nypost.com/2020/04/10/both-cigarette-and-marijuana-smoking-raise-coronavirus-risk/

NIDA April 06, 2020

COVID-19: Potential Implications for Individuals with Substance Use Disorders

"...Co-occurring conditions including COPD, cardiovascular disease, and other respiratory diseases have been found to worsen prognosis in patients with other coronaviruses that affect the respiratory system, such as those that cause SARS and MERS. According to a case series published in JAMA based on data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), the case fatality rate (CFR) for COVID-19 was 6.3 percent for those with chronic respiratory disease, compared to a CFR of 2.3 percent overall. In China, 52.9 percent of men smoke, in contrast to just 2.4 percent of women; further analysis of the emerging COVID-19 data from China could help determine if this disparity is contributing to the higher mortality observed in men compared to women, as reported by China CDC."

https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/noras-blog/2020/04/covid-19-potential-implications-individuals-substance-use-disorders

Anyone dumb enough to smoke ANYTHING is inviting serious health problems to happen.

Of course, if you're a hard-core addict, that doesn't seem to matter.; 4/10/20, 5:56 PM
gilbar said...: Just Remember! the single Most Important Thing, in the Whole Wide World; is scoring some drugs*
It's NOT that we're Addicts, or anything; it's just that we CAN NOT EXIST WITHOUT OUR DRUGS!

drugs* Yes, Of COURSE, Alcohol is a drug too! that's why liquor stores are essential services; 4/10/20, 6:01 PM
Josephbleau said...: "Smoking marijuana moderately over years is strongly associated with small improvements in lung function, even compared to people who have never smoked cigarettes or marijuana, according to a study in JAMA."

If I were on peer review for this I would smugly ask if higher lung function selects for marijuana use.; 4/10/20, 6:05 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: Fuck cowards. Fuck people doing things for my own good. Fuck the authorities.

Does anybody have any idea how we can begin to fight back against being under house arrest and kissing the asses of petty tyrants?

Take care of your own health, assholes. Mind your own business.; 4/10/20, 6:10 PM
Josephbleau said...: "The Governor of New York should be able to ban illegal marijuana sales during the crisis"
I think that's covered by the word "illegal".

I was trying to do a Titania McGrath thing, guess I have no talent.; 4/10/20, 6:11 PM
Michael said...: Don’t sweat a thing if you don’t live in NY; 4/10/20, 6:11 PM
heyboom said...: Marijuana use heightens coronavirus risk; 4/10/20, 6:12 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: Marijuana use heightens coronavirus risk

So what? If you don't like it, don't smoke it, knucklehead.; 4/10/20, 6:13 PM
Jon Ericson said...: Cue the REEEEEE; 4/10/20, 6:19 PM
rcocean said...: "Take care of your own health, assholes. Mind your own business.

And pay your own medical bills - no medicare/medicade or government subsidity of anyk kind. And don't use the ER unless you have $$$ on the barrel.; 4/10/20, 6:34 PM
rcocean said...: "C'mon man, that's real power!"

baby needs a new pair of shoes. I knew a old guy who owned 4 liquor stores, but sold them all, retired, and got into the stock market. He got depressed over the clientele spending themselves into oblivion. Of course, that's their right.; 4/10/20, 6:39 PM
rcocean said...: "C'mon man, that's real power!"

baby needs a new pair of shoes. I knew a old guy who owned 4 liquor stores, but sold them all, retired, and got into the stock market. He got depressed over the clientele spending themselves into oblivion. Of course, that's their right.; 4/10/20, 6:39 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: And pay your own medical bills - no medicare/medicade or government subsidity of anyk kind. And don't use the ER unless you have $$$ on the barrel.

The little asshole tyrant is really coming out in every jackass right now.; 4/10/20, 6:40 PM
rcocean said...: "When I see these stories, I see proof of what many of us object to with this response: the very real danger that people, when given power over others, cannot resist abusing it."

absolute power corrupts absolutely. The real problem is that most people just accept it, or shrug their shoulders. Not many Patrick Henry's left.; 4/10/20, 6:41 PM
rcocean said...: "The little asshole tyrant is really coming out in every jackass right now."

Looks like someone's posting while drunk. LOL!; 4/10/20, 6:42 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: This virus is really egging on every piece of shit with a desire to run other peoples' lives into coming out.

It literally a litmus test for assholery.

You've tested positiver rcocean.

Like you personally pay my bills, you lowlife fuck.; 4/10/20, 6:43 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: Really, it's time for the petty tyrants to hang.; 4/10/20, 6:45 PM
DavidUW said...: Lord god almighty this is stupid stuff.; 4/10/20, 6:46 PM
DavidUW said...: ST, I got plenty of rope.
The lamp posts need some decorating.; 4/10/20, 6:48 PM
Yancey Ward said...: It is funny to see what gets an exemption.

I wrote a rhetorical question a few days ago- how different would we be approaching this if the government and private sector white collar employees "working" from home had had to sign up for unemployment the last three weeks? Very different reaction, I promise you.; 4/10/20, 6:49 PM
Howard said...: Nobody's stopping you, Thomas. You can't lead from the sidelines. Consult the experience of the Vietnam anti-war protest leadership would be a good start. To the MOON, Alice.; 4/10/20, 7:08 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: Consult the experience of the Vietnam anti-war protest leadership would be a good start.

I was the leader of the anti-war movement in my area of Illinois.

You know, it's different being an old man who's comfortably set up. I didn't have shit back in those days.

On one occasion, one of the locals tossed a brick at me from a moving car. That stuff used to get me fired up.; 4/10/20, 7:12 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: Here, I'll tell you a funny story, Howard.

My uncle Jim was an Army Ranger in WWII. Fought behind enemy lines, creeping up behind Germans and cutting their throats.

He was outraged by my antiwar activism, and he came over one day to confront me.

His army days were, of course 20, years behind him, and he was a fat drunk and his experience in combat had left him an emotional and psychological cripple. I was a 3 sport star athlete in high school and I was in football shape.

"You better watch your ass or..." he said in his drunken stupor.

"Or what, Jim?"

He thought better of it and went home; 4/10/20, 7:17 PM
William said...: I passed by a subway station today. A crazy man was exiting. He was shouting gibberish at the top of his lungs. Imagine travelling with him for a half hour or so.....Subway are, of course, essential, but when the history of the mess in NYC comes to be written, I think subways will be seen as the main culprit....I think I read somewhere that MTA workers are testing positive in greater numbers than first responders. Many of them are out sick. As a result, fewer and more crowded trains.....I question why reporters are so eager to attack churches and so reluctant to criticize crowded subway trains.....Mass transit is fine for lowering the carbon footprint, but not the ideal way to travel during respiratory plagues. Shhh.; 4/10/20, 7:23 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: I question why reporters are so eager to attack churches...

I'm assuming that's sarcasm.; 4/10/20, 7:25 PM
Yancey Ward said...: I search for new images of New York subways every morning now for the last week. Still packed in together for the most part that I can see. Someone is going to have to answer for that choice, at some point- keeping the mass transit system open all this time. It isn't that I think it should have been shut down, but keeping it open rather than finding some other solution to it's use is inconsistent with the policies handed down from the governor and the mayor. This is one you can't lay at the feet of Trump, which is why I think the media try to ignore it.; 4/10/20, 7:48 PM
Yancey Ward said...: I just love watching the media gushing over Cuomo and Whitmer. You can arguably state that they are two of the three biggest failures in all of this (the other being the governor of New Jersey). The only Democrat that might come out of this looking really good is Newsome in California. Maybe the Democrats need to be talking about him taking over for Biden when he ends up on a ventilator.; 4/10/20, 7:57 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: The Dems will finesse the problem of NYC being the worst case by saying that two or three times as many would have died if not for the heroic and brilliant actions of Cuomo.; 4/10/20, 8:09 PM
Lucien said...: Is there a peer-reviewed randomized double blind study, that has been replicated, proving that marijuana smoking affects COVID19?

If not, this is pure quackery. Follow the Science!; 4/10/20, 8:14 PM
gilbar said...: William strangely said...
I question why reporters are so eager to attack ourchurches and so reluctant to criticize theirchurches
fify!; 4/10/20, 8:18 PM
heyboom said...: @ST,

Don't get your dander up. I just posted an article for people to read for informative purposes. I didn't tell anyone how to live their lives or what choices to make. I am the ultimate free will guy. If you want to smoke weed, that's your prerogative and I don't judge you for it. Hell, my girls all do it. I still love them as much as I ever have, and I don't try to tell them what to do either.

But, I happen to believe it's not safe at all for a number of reasons. Nothing tyrannical or knuckleheaded about it. Just my belief.; 4/10/20, 8:53 PM
heyboom said...: And p.s. to ST,

I love you, man.; 4/10/20, 8:58 PM
Temujin said...: Gummies.; 4/10/20, 9:02 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: Bagoh @ 4:30.

It's like shooting fish in a barrel!

Meanwhile, our Governor, while playing his role as virus super-hero, likes to commute death sentences under cover of darkness.; 4/10/20, 9:05 PM
Temujin said...: What's the deal with Gretchen Whitmer getting all of the glossy ass-kissing articles about her? (like the one I read in Politico today). She's been Governor of Michigan for 2 years. Not even. Less than 2 years. Her claim to office was that she would (finally) get the roads fixed in Michigan. That hadn't happened yet. Also the schools and water systems.

Jeez- roads, schools, water systems. Michigan sure has changed since I lived there. We used to have that stuff.

Anyway- she had been in office for about 20 minutes when the Dems tapped her to give the Anti-State of the Union Address. Why? Because she's got one of them thar vagina thingies. And for the Dems and the media (but I repeat myself) that, or some color other than white in your skin- makes you eligible for high office. President. Veep- name it!

So what has Whitmer actually accomplished that should put her in as Veep? I'll be happy to read the results when someone can post a list here. I've tried to look it up. Other than being the victim of rape, arguing with Trump, and being a butt-buddy with union leaders- all Dem bonus point makers, I can't find anything she's actually done that would make her 1 stroke away from being President.

Disclaimer: I'm not joking about rape. It's a horrid, vicious crime. But it should not be a resume builder. Nor should having a vagina.; 4/10/20, 9:30 PM
Maillard Reactionary said...: Perhaps I can shed a little light on the original issue in this post, if anyone can remember it: "legal marijuana" dispensaries are still open. And the poor (though employed) slobs delivering it are "at risk". How can this be? Are we not better than this, as a nation?

Well, maybe this will help: "Legal marijuana" sales = state tax revenue. Lots of it.
Same as with the liquor stores here in the Democratic Peoples Republic of NJ.

For example, here in the DRPNJ, where I languish, Phil Murphy has "closed" all of the state parks. Now, speaking for myself, and I suppose others, I don't go to the woods to enjoy the company of strangers. But there is no tax revenue associated with the state parks being "open", while there is virtue-posturing available to closing them. That's not quite as good as money, but it's better than just leaving people alone, if you're a Democrat.

Similarly, in the DPRNJ, Phil has decreed that all "non-infrastructure-related" construction projects are now shut down. This may be translated as "state or state-funded employees standing around while people dig holes" are allowed to work, whereas construction workers who work for private industry are now SOL. Hey, state income taxes from working stiffs are always welcome, but if we have to step on some of them it's going to be the ones with the flags on their hats.

I try to be cynical, but it's hard to keep up. (Lily Tomlin); 4/10/20, 10:06 PM
Maillard Reactionary said...: Howard @4:17 PM: How about actually answering her question, if you can? Why exactly should she? Or I?; 4/10/20, 10:08 PM
Josephbleau said...: Mac Wiseman said he would live by the side of the road and help Gods pilgrims along life's way. How uninformed. He must shun their pleas and hold himself away in isolation. Then he will be a true progressive. Brought to you by Movietone News.; 4/10/20, 10:09 PM
walter said...: Blogger William said...
when the history of the mess in NYC comes to be written, I think subways will be seen as the main culprit...
--
And common sense would suggest a differentiation from L.A., and larger CA.
Yet you can see the "efforting" to frame lower rates as schoolmarm grades for social distancing.; 4/10/20, 11:37 PM