Covid & Cannabis: How The Community Has Been Affected

By Stu Zakim

What a year 2020 into 2021 has been: a year ago, we were just beginning to hear about this virus that now dominates our lives. The impact has turned our world upside down - from how and where we work to dining out to virtual sports, weddings and funerals. As a country, we’ve lost over 400,000, including my mother at the end of December, to this pandemic, and hopefully, as the Biden/Harris administration creates systems out of the chaos left behind, the vaccine will be distributed to all who need and want it and life can resume some kind of normalcy.

Among the key areas of interest to the Munkey family affected by COVID is the Cannabis Culture we all love. I first noticed it when I and Cannabis legend Steve Bloom attended the Allman Brothers Band’s 50th Anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden on March 10, 3 days before New York City shut down. Now, anyone who has been to an Allman’s or Grateful Dead or Phish concert, knows that besides amazing music, there was always unbelievable weed, often shared among friends and strangers, as we enjoyed the bands. It was part of the concert experience; puff, puff, pass. However, that night, while there was plenty of Cannabis consumed by the sold out house, while we smoked together, we didn’t smoke together, rather, we smoked our own product and only our product. As they say February 3, 1959 was the day the Music died (singers Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Richie Valens were killed in a plane crash), but to me, March 10, 2020 was the day the Cannabis world as we knew it, died. Gone were the in-person events and trade shows that were the foundation of our community and culture; so was the after partying following MJBIZ, CWCBE, NECANN and MJBA events, which to me, was where I met many of my friends in this space. Somehow, smoking together over a Zoom call doesn’t have the same feel, to say nothing of the taste or smell and bonding that often happens when we share a joint, bong, dab, bowl, etc. It’s kind of like the Cannabis version of phone sex, not that there’s anything wrong with that!

I’m not a Debby Downer, actually, totally the opposite. On the upside, Cannabis was deemed a necessary business during the various shut downs created by the pandemic so patients had access to get the medicine they need while adult use helped with the stress of the situation. While not moving as fast as we’d all like, New Jersey voters approved Cannabis legalization last November, with Governor Murphy suggesting the tax revenues generated will go a long way towards the revenue shortages caused by COVID. New York is also moving along, with Governor Cuomo’s budget factoring in revenue from legal Cannabis was introduced recently. And we have a Vice-President on our side.

I have confidence, now that we have national leadership that we and the world respect, we’ll beat this virus and look forward to smoking that first joint with my fellow Munkey family and make the April 20 holiday a true celebration.

Till then, stay safe and wear a mask.