WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – The coronavirus pandemic has negatively impacted businesses far and wide, but the cannabis industry is seeing an uptick in growth, outpacing that of 2019, according to the State of Cannabis Industry 2020.
"As a response to COVID-19, cannabis consumers are buying more overall, but generally shopping less frequently," the report concluded.
What You Need To Know
- Calma West Hollywood dispensary opened in July
- It's the sixth dispensary in the city of West Hollywood
- According to some reports, marijuana sales are doing well despite pandemic
- Calma won a city-wide competition to get a retail license
Despite the pandemic, some retailers are actually doing better now than they were at the beginning of the year. In West Hollywood, Sergio Perez was one of the first hires at Calma, the sixth and newest cannabis dispensary to open in the area.
“It was really exciting, really exciting to be hired during this pandemic, being able to have a job and keep a job during this time,” said Perez.
Opening during a pandemic was not the goal, but Calma was in the works years before the outbreak. Calma won a city-wide competition to get a retail license. Everything came together so that they opened their flagship store in July.
General manager Mara Stusser said sales have been encouraging.
“People are worried about paying their bills. They’re worried about eating and sometimes cannabis can be a really great relief for some of those feelings that we’re all going through,” explained Stusser.
You can order online or shop around inside the store.