Cannabis shops have been allowed to continue to operate amid the coronavirus pandemic. Jerred Kiloh, President of the United Cannabis Business Association and Owner of The Higher Path in Sherman Oaks, tells Inside the Issues they worked with different public health departments to establish their businesses as essential for not only medical patients, but those who are non-medical as well, saying it could put a lot of stress on the medical system.

“We didn't want to put stress on the medical system that was already stressed," he said. "I think it was a really good opportunity to allow people to self-declare as medical and not push people to one side or the other.”

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Kiloh said when the quarantine was first implemented, shops saw up to a 70-percent increase in revenue, saying many people were likely stocking up.

With the increasing concern over respiratory illness, Kiloh said shops are seeing a more diverse set of products being sold like edibles and tinctures. 

“We’re seeing products that usually people would never buy or they would sit on the shelves for months, we’re seeing a lot of them be the preference of people now,” he said. “I have actually seen people make more purchases on some things that are just a little bit more outlandish. We hadn't sold a lot of tea in quite a while then all of a sudden we're selling out of teas because people are at home, they have more time, they can brew a pot of tea instead of just trying to just go light up a joint out of convenience.”

Watch the clip above for more.

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