New High For Weed Delivery Sales Thanks to Coronavirus

In states where access to cannabis has been deemed an “essential service,” companies are seeing surges in new customers and upticks in orders, while also implementing new safety precautions.

By Jessie Schiewe

In a handful of states, weed deliveries are still being made despite mandates to “shelter-in-place.” (Credit: Eaze)

As the majority of Americans quarantine in their homes to prevent the spread of coronavirus, it can feel like everything “fun” has been closed or put on hiatus. In most states, residents are only allowed to venture out for the things they really need, like groceries, prescriptions, gas, or medical care. 

And in a handful of places, this also includes weed. 

In more than a dozen states where cannabis has already been legalized — including California, Oregon, Connecticut, Washington, New York, New Mexico, Massachusetts, and Michigan — marijuana businesses are still in operation, having been deemed “essential services” that must remain open to meet the population’s needs. 

As coronavirus sweeps through the nation, forcing more and more people indoors for an indefinite period of time, the demand for cannabis has been high.

Weed businesses from boutique sellers to massive tech companies, like Weedmaps, are experiencing unprecedented booms in purchases from customers hoping to stock up their stashes or try something new during these strange times. 

“We’re continuing to see a continued increase in cannabis demand as shelter-in-place measures are implemented across the country and people stock up for medical use,” Travis Rexroad, Weedmaps’ PR Director, told OK Whatever via email. 

A recent ad on Weedmaps’ website.

This March, Weedmaps drew in 74% more unique customers than it had in February 2020 — and the month isn’t even over.

Orders have also skyrocketed, with March 20, 2020 “holding the highest amount of orders received on Weedmaps in company history,” Rexroad noted — up 493% from the same day last year.

California-based delivery service Eaze, which has been called “the Uber of weed,” is also seeing a spate in orders, new sign-ups, and first-time customers. The uptick began on Friday, March 13th, Elizabeth Ashford, Eaze’s senior director of corporation communications, told OK Whatever. 

First-time deliveries with Eaze have gone up 36%; new sign-ups are up 71%; and the overall amounts spent on orders is up 38%.

What these numbers tell us is that more people are experimenting with cannabis and that they’re placing larger orders. It also speaks to another trend the company has noticed: more interest in edibles. 

How Weed Delivery Services Are Handling Coronavirus

To meet the new demand and to fill in for employees who have chosen to stay home during this time, Eaze, as well as other cannabis businesses, have started hiring laid-off restaurant employees and other delivery drivers as temp workers. 

“People have to make their own decisions about how they want to spend their time, whether or not they want to be at home,” Ashford said. “We have had some folks take leave because this is not a situation they want to be in. On the other hand, we've had lots of folks who have an interest in working or working more, and who are OK with taking the safety precautions and getting on with it.”

With coronavirus sending weed delivery sales through the roof, ensuring safe transactions between customers and drivers, as well as safe practices on the retail level where the products are stored and packaged, has become one of Eaze’s biggest priorities. 

In fact, the company began taking preventative measures in early March, more than two weeks before the California Bureau of Cannabis Control started requiring cannabis retailers to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for sanitation and safety. 

No more movies, shopping, bars, or parties, but hey, at least we can still buy weed. (Credit: Eaze)

Eaze employees were advised to social distance, regularly wash their hands, and stay home if they felt unwell. Extra supplies were purchased for drivers, like hand sanitizer and disposable latex or nitrile gloves, to keep them safe on the job, and new policies were put into place, such as cleaning off hand-held phones and terminals after every delivery. 

Now when Eaze delivery drivers show up at customers’ homes, they are provided with tools, like finger cots, stylus pens, and even popsicle sticks, so that they don’t have to touch the devices with their bare skin. Customers can even bypass using the devices altogether by marking an “X” on their order ahead of time to have the driver sign for the delivery. 

The company has also changed the way they do ID verification checks and no longer requires customers to hand their licenses to the drivers. Merely showing the ID from a distance suffices now. 

“There’s a lot that has happened,” Ashford said. “And I feel very confident that we've been making the right adjustments and have even been kind of a little bit ahead of the curve.”

Though it might taper off in the coming weeks, so long as the majority of Americans remain in self-quarantine, sales will likely remain steady for cannabis businesses, if not better. Just like with the mass toilet paper shortages, coronavirus is helping us recognize those items that Americans hold most dear. 

“It really underscores how many people see cannabis and use cannabis as a tool for wellness,” Ashford noted.

And once this is all over, who knows? Maybe states where cannabis is still illegal will change their tunes and put more merit on the emotional and psychological benefits that it can provide. 

But it would be premature to celebrate that just yet. And, with the coronavirus epidemic still ongoing, even rejoicing in the cannabis industry’s sky high sales can seem wrong. 

“This is a very tough time. We’re glad to be able to do something that helps people stay in their homes,” Ashford said.

“It’s not a time when we’re like, ‘Woo hoo! We’re selling more cannabis than ever!’ … I don’t ever want to give the wrong impression that somehow this is all good for us.”

JESSIE SCHIEWE IS THE EDITOR OF OK WHATEVER. SHE BELIEVES IN MERMAIDS AND THRIFT SHOPS FOR EXERCISE.

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