LONG BEACH, Calif. – Despite widespread business closures, cannabis dispensaries remain open in Long Beach, but it is not business as usual.
The Green Room is a Long Beach dispensary. During this pandemic their store hours haven’t changed; a lot of other things have changed.
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“I mean it’s a little crazy on the spot trying to come up with something,“ said Tarick Fouz, the store manager.
Fouz enforces the new rules.
He’s got protective gear for each employee.
Face masks are optional, but gloves are not. They limit shopping time to 10 minutes. Red marks on the floor help keep enough space between everyone.
The water fountain is taped off to discourage touching. Driver licenses are scanned through the glass and all the furniture in the waiting room is gone.
Los Angeles County said cannabis dispensaries with a medicinal license are considered essential and so may stay open. There’s still a chance they could be forced to close at any moment for health reasons.
“I’m very hopeful that we’ll remain open hopefully, but no one can tell for sure. We just have to wait and see,” said Fouz.
As the cannabis industry works to adapt to live with COVID-19, a new normal emerges.