Contributor: ASIA MAYFIELD
Whenever legalization is passed in a state, it’s an exciting time for cannabis enthusiasts who are lucky enough to live within their borders. For decades, these folks were subjected to getting their herb from sketchy people on the streets, and they were collectively criticized by society. The wealth of negative stigma that surrounded cannabis, and its use, was incredibly unjust and damaging to the overall character of the cannabis community.
Far too often, we were labeled as lackadaisical slackers with no motivation or willpower. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. The only thing that separated us, cannabis enthusiasts, from the rest of society is we understood the healing powers of marijuana, and we weren’t afraid to utilize its greatness to live more comfortable, serene lifestyles.
But now, with more and more states embracing cannabis and its multitude of benefits, those days of being falsely judged by society for smoking weed are becoming a distant memory. What’s interesting, as well, is how many more people are showing up when each state puts legalization into action.
In the early days, even when it became legal, a healthy number of cannabis enthusiasts chose to see how it went and maintained their non-dispensary lifestyles.
The process, to some, seemed a bit too intimidating and nerve-racking. Going to a licensed dispensary makes some of the more rookie smokers feel inadequate and afraid to ask questions, for fear of revealing their cannabis-related ignorance. And, in those early days, every now and then the federal government would raid a legal shop, simply because they could. And nobody wants to be stuck in line at a dispensary when the DEA kicks in the door. That could give anyone a heart attack.
However, in recent years, the federal government has put those surprise raids to rest, and they’ve since lessened the severity of their anti-cannabis stance. Essentially, they realized they were fighting a losing battle, so they opted (finally) to put their money and efforts into other, more worthwhile endeavors. And thank goodness they did. Those impromptu cannabis club raids were wildly unpredictable, and a newer marijuana enthusiast may have avoided hitting up their local club because they didn’t even want to risk it. Which is completely understandable.
All this to say that, when a state joins the legalization ranks, they see a much larger influx of recreational customers filling up their dispensaries than the state previous to them. The average person feels more comfortable than ever asking questions and buying bud from a dispensary. That previously-held stigma has vanished from the common cannabis enthusiast’s mind, allowing them to get just as excited about recreational marijuana, as their more experienced weed-smoking counterparts.
And, as Illinois prepares to put legalized recreational marijuana into action come January 2020, they are expecting hoards of ganja-lovers to flock to their dispensaries. Of which, there is only a handful scattered throughout the state. And, with that in mind, they realized that certain consumers may run into issues if they choose to hit up a club on January 1st.
The main concern for these business owners (and customers) is the crowds. Without a doubt, the entire state of Illinois will be abuzz with giddiness when that 6 a.m. window approaches on New Year’s Day. That’s when cannabis clubs can legally start selling bud to any Illinois enthusiast over the age of 21.
In places like California, the weather is usually pretty nice, and people don’t really have an issue waiting in lines that snake themselves out of a dispensary’s doorway. However, in Illinois, things are going to be a bit chilly. Well, actually, they’re going to be SUPER chilly – frigid even. And, I don’t know about you, but if a line takes too long to move, I’m liable to bail on that dispensary, altogether, and head to one where I don’t have to freeze my buns off to get some newly legal bud.
Cannabis clubs in the state are more than aware of that possibility, and a few of them are trying to strategically plan around it. But there’s another aspect of January 1, 2020, that could leave business owners and cannabis enthusiasts upset.
They could run of product.
I mean, with dispensaries expecting a historic turnout on that winter morning, it’s very likely that a few places will simply sell out their entire stock before all of the locals can even think about buying some.
Imagine waiting in line, in the freezing cold, for (possibly) hours at some places, only to be told that they’re out of everything! That would drive me nuts! That sort of occurrence could result in such a negative experience, that person may never venture back to that cannabis club ever again simply out of spite. And when it comes to the marijuana industry, repeat business and customer loyalty are key. So, if there is any possible way they can keep their customer base happy, they are going to do it.
This is probably why one dispensary has rented out an entire coffee shop to house his potential customers, who would otherwise have to endure the harsh climate. Cresco Labs, the company that rented out that coffee shop, was more than happy to extrapolate on their reasoning behind such a creative move.
Their chief communications officer, Jason Erkes, said, “(The coffee shop) can hold about 300 people, so we’re planning on having an indoor staging area, where people can come in, and we’ll have non-dosed product displays, and iPads, and some of our wellness advisers in there, where we hope people can figure out what they want to buy.”
I think that’s one of the smartest things they could’ve done. It’s all about education, especially in the infancy stage of legalization. So anything that presents a “no dumb questions” environment is the best tactic to utilize on such a day. Erkes continued on to say, “We’re certainly fielding a lot of questions through our social channels. If that’s any indication of the crowd, it’s going to be a pretty big crowd.”
They aren’t the only ones trying to help customers stay warm during their wait, however. There’s a handful of other companies who are renting tents, food trucks, and heaters to make sure their customers stick it out until it’s their turn to pick up some newly legal bud. That is, if there’s anything left to purchase by the time they get inside.
One way they plan to counteract that is by implementing purchase limits. Hopefully, this gives everyone a fair shot at picking up some bud on New Year’s Day.
Jeremy Unruh works as PharmaCann’s director of public and regulatory affairs. PharmaCann will be super busy on that day, as they will have three separate locations selling Illinois’ finest buds to local residents.
When speaking on the expected crowds and wave of new cannabis consumers, Unruh said, “We have, right now, maybe 90,000 patients in the state, and the governor’s office is predicting that there will be 750,000 adult-use consumers. That’s approaching a nine or ten times increase in folks that we’re going to see in our dispensaries.”
Adding, “I think some products, particularly dried flower, will end up being rationed or limited at the point of sale. But I don’t think anyone’s going to run out of cannabis. They’re just going to run out of flower.”
He seems confident, which does calm the worries a bit. But, if you’re looking to score some flower on that day, I’d suggest hitting up your local club as soon as you can. That may be your best bet.
