COVID19 State Emergency Plans Confirm Medical Cannabis is Essential

Patient Advocates are Grateful States are Listening, Warn “There is More Action Still Needed”

WASHINGTON, DC — Last Monday, March 16, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the nation's largest medical cannabis patient advocacy organization, with coordinated stakeholders and allies, called on U.S. state and territorial governors (DC mayor) and medical cannabis program directors to allow cannabis businesses and dispensaries to remain open as “essential” businesses during COVID-19-related closings as well as a list of other measures that they should immediately put into place to protect patient access and the medical cannabis supply chain.

“18 states have now declared cannabis businesses essential, said ASA Founder and President Steph Sherer. “And, many others are following other ASA recommendations, such as instructing medical cannabis businesses on how they can make legal temporary changes to their business plans. These include expanding delivery services, allowing curbside pickup, extending the expiration date of state-issued cannabis identification cards, and allowing telehealth visits for new and renewing medical cannabis certifications,” Sherer said. “We applaud these efforts at the state level and are honored to serve governments and medical cannabis stakeholders on behalf of patients.” 

ASA will continue to monitor officials’ responses to the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic and will take further action as necessary to ensure that patients can continue to access the medicine on which they rely for their well-being.

To learn more about updates to how states and businesses are responding to the COVID-19 crisis, our recommendations to patients, and how patients can urge governments to take action, ASA has created a COVID-19 resource page: https://www.safeaccessnow.org/COVID-19