The Bengal Bite 🐯 - Cannabis as an Essential Service - 03/20/2020
Dear ,
With the stressful week it’s been for everyone, I wanted to reach out personally.
Even with the turmoil of the past couple of weeks, we’ve seen encouraging news for the industry. While many businesses have closed their doors in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, cannabis providers have been declared an essential service in California, Michigan, and several other states. Average basket sizes are up at the dispensary, and demand for delivery has soared.
Please find below our weekly newsletter. We hope you continue to find the content informative.
Most sincerely,
Sanjay
Michigan temporarily allowing curbside marijuana pickup, encourages delivery
As coronavirus spreads, Michigan is now allowing curbside pickup for medical patients and recreational cannabis users alike, and California has followed suit. Many retail shops have reported lower foot traffic, but customers that do come in are ordering much larger amounts than usual and appear to be “stocking up.” Delivery has also seen a surge in sales, likely due to the increased number of telecommuters and those staying at home in response to the spread of the coronavirus.
California cannabis, amid the coronavirus siege
According to the San Francisco Department of Public Health, “Cannabis is an essential medicine for many San Francisco residents. Dispensaries can continue to operate as essential businesses during this time, while practicing social distancing and other public health recommendations.”
Cannabis Comfort
Our good friends at MKM Partners have written a piece this week discussing usage pattern differences between cannabis and beer. While beer is king for large social situations, cannabis is by far more popular in solitary times and equally popular with close friends.
Amid coronavirus, Canadian cannabis stores see ‘unprecedented’ sales surge
Sales surged this past weekend as consumers stocked up, giving cash-strapped retailers a sudden sharp increase in revenue everywhere from California to Canada. Recent sales potentially demonstrate that legal cannabis will ultimately prove to be recession-resistant like other consumer staples (beer, wine, spirits, etc).