Although the coronavirus pandemic devastated most industries and ground commerce to a near-complete standstill, the cannabis sector weathered the storm with relatively few losses. It was one of the few sectors deemed essential and allowed to continue operations amid lockdown orders, with cannabis businesses reporting month over month sales records for most of the year. To keep staff and customers, who are often immunocompromised, safe, most states with legal cannabis allowed online ordering, curbside pickups and home deliveries.
Even though the pandemic is far from over, plenty of cannabis businesses have recognized how important the delivery model is and are hoping states will allow home deliveries to continue once the pandemic is under control. In Colorado, several cities are mulling the thought of legalizing cannabis delivery post-coronavirus.
The city of Aurora has approved a proposal that would allow cannabis delivery within the city. The cannabis-delivery program will include a grant and social equity program that would allow only social equity applicants to qualify as transporters for the first 36 months. Deliveries will be tracked via GPS, and all transactions must be video recorded. Additionally, there will be limits to how much cannabis customers can have delivered to their homes per day.
In Denver, the capital of Colorado, the Division of Excise and Licenses has drafted three bills that would allow cannabis deliveries and ensure communities of color benefit from the delivery program. The Omnibus Bill creates a framework to guide deliveries within the city while the other two bills pave the way for Denver’s hospitality program. The program would allow people to open businesses where customers could publicly consume cannabis.
As in Aurora, transporter, dispensary and cultivation licenses will only be available to social equity applicants, this time for the first six years of the program. Existing businesses that don’t qualify for social equity but would like to make home deliveries will have to contract with a third party that does qualify for the first three years.
The cities of Boulder, Superior and Longmont already allow medical cannabis dispensaries to make home deliveries. Boulder and Superior are the only districts that allow cannabis delivery, with the Dandelion Dispensary becoming the first dispensary in Boulder to obtain a delivery license followed by Helping Hands Cannabis. In Longmont, cannabis dispensaries are allowed to deliver medical cannabis to patients.
Truman Bradley with the Marijuana Industry Group says the sector is “solidly in favor” of medical cannabis delivery, adding that even if the coronavirus pandemic weren’t a factor, “it just makes sense to deliver.”
Meanwhile, Michigan established its legal cannabis industry much later than Colorado’s, but the companies in Michigan are already off to a sprint. An example is Gage Cannabis Company, which is working with the singular objective of becoming the fastest-growing brand within the nascent industry in the state.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Gage Cannabis Co. are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/GAGE
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