Amsterdam, Barcelona, Los Angeles, Toronto: cannabis rush before containment

As containment decrees fall one after the other, legal cannabis markets welcome their last customers before closing time.

In Amsterdam and throughout the Netherlands, the coffeeshops have been summoned the curtain at 6pm on Sunday, until at least April 6, in an attempt to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Queues quickly formed outside coffeeshops in the Dutch capital and elsewhere, as customers, some facing three weeks without work or university, decided to stock up on cannabis while they still could.

In cue for coffeeshop closing in the Netherlands as of now, 6pm, until April 6th. #COVID19NL #coffeeshop #runonpot #hamsteren pic.twitter.com/xbvGaCeILw

- Ilse Frech (@ilsefrech) March 15, 2020

The same goes for Barcelona. Following the postponement of Spannabis, The Clubs were able to welcome visitors until Friday afternoon and the decree of the State of Emergency in Spain. The CSCs took it in turns to send out notices restricting visits, then announcing forthcoming closures. Visit socios were able to replenish their supplies before the Cannabis Clubs close completely for at least 14 days.

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In the United States, where lockdown has not yet been declared, people are preparing for the quarantine as best they can, without forgetting their weed ration. Many Los Angeles cannabis retailers are reporting increased sales as their customers stock up ahead of the epidemic.

«People are in scarcity mode. The streets are empty, but specific businesses like grocery stores and dispensaries are seeing more people than usual - and people are stocking up and buying in bulk.», explained Steve Lilak, director of sales for California cannabis company NUG. «I've seen regular customers buy three or four times what they normally buy in Los Angeles dispensaries.»

Delivery services are also reporting a massive increase in sales. «We've seen an increase in our delivery services at all of our locations, with record sales over the past two weeks,» said a spokesperson for Caliva, another California dispensary chain that offers a delivery service.

On the Canadian side, cannabis stores in Ontario and Alberta reported «unprecedented demand». Darren Bondar, CEO of Spiritleaf, one of Ontario's licensed cannabis distribution chains, said declared that its 46 stores «experienced unprecedented demand for cannabis over the weekend with sales up 20% on the previous and a record number of customers served.»

Physical cannabis stores are already taking steps to protect the health and safety of customers and employees by promoting human distancing and delivery services. With Canadian production capacity already limited, the risk of shortages should not be underestimated.