Missourians for a New Approach is up against a May deadline to collect enough signatures for a petition to place an adult-use cannabis legalization initiative on Missouri’s November ballot, but the coronavirus pandemic could very easily spell doom for these efforts, according to Dan Viets, who chairs the campaign’s advisory board.

“It’s become much more difficult,” Viets tells Cannabis Business Times. “It’s causing major concerns. We have until the first week of May to gather 160,000 voter signatures. We have more than 60,000 in hand, but given the fact that petitioning is now much more difficult, we’re reassessing whether it’s going to be possible to accomplish this or not this year.”

Prior to the nationwide response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the campaign was on schedule, gathering signatures at a rate that would have allowed Missourians for a New Approach to meet the deadline with more than the required number of signatures, Viets says.

Missouri law requires those who wish to place an initiative on the ballot to gather signatures in six—and only six—of the state’s eight congressional districts.

“The first thing that every campaign has to do is pick out two districts where you’re not going to gather signatures, and signatures from those districts simply won’t count toward the total,” Viets says. “Then, you have a minimum in each of those six districts. In essence, you’re running six different campaigns and you have to meet the minimum in each of those six districts.”

“It’s never easy, but we were on course to accomplish it,” he adds. “We accomplished it two years ago, when we passed medical marijuana here. We were on course to do it again until the response to the coronavirus eliminated public gatherings. When you eliminate public gatherings, you eliminate the most useful opportunities to gather signatures efficiently and effectively.”

Missouri law does not allow for the electronic collection of signatures, but Missourians for a New Approach is currently assessing other options to keep the campaign afloat.

“We’ve already invested lots of work and time and money, but we don’t want to continue if it’s just not possible,” Viets says.

The initiative itself is 15 pages of language based largely on Missouri’s medical cannabis law, as well as elements that other states have implemented in their adult-use cannabis programs.

“We’ve used our opportunity to see what has worked and what has not worked well in other states, and we’ve tried to make the most of that opportunity,” Viets says.

The measure allows for a minimum number of business licenses issued for cannabis cultivators, manufacturers, dispensaries and testing facilities. It does not set a maximum number of licenses, but it does allow the state to set a limit on licenses above certain minimums, Viets says. The proposal also allows medical cannabis licensees to apply for adult-use licenses, as well.

In addition, the initiative permits personal cultivation, so Missourians could grow their own cannabis plants at home for personal use.

The measure is a constitutional amendment instead of a statutory initiative; statutory initiatives can be revised by the state legislature, and Missourians for a New Approach feared that lawmakers would render the measure unworkable should voters pass it this fall.

“It takes far fewer signatures here in Missouri to put a statutory initiative on the ballot than it does to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot, but just as we did with medical marijuana, we are absolutely convinced that only a constitutional amendment makes sense,” Viets says. “If we pass a statutory initiative, the legislature will not hesitate to immediately gut it, cut it to shreds, repeal it. They’ve done that with other issues and we’ve no doubt they’d do that with this, as well. So, we had no reason to even consider anything other than a constitutional amendment, which of course is immune to tinkering by the legislature.”

Missouri is still working to implement the medical cannabis initiative that voters approved in 2018, but there are now more than 40,000 patients enrolled in the program, Viets says, and patients are allowed to grow their own cannabis until dispensaries open. The commercial market is expected to launch sometime this summer.

The legislature is essentially shut down, however, as the state deals with the coronavirus outbreak.

“It’s essentially as it is across the nation—so-called ‘non-essential’ businesses are closed,” he says. “That is interpreted in different ways in different places, but there’s a very low level of public activity—no public meetings, very little traffic and very little opportunity for petitioning, unfortunately.”

While reaching its signature goal may seem impossible amid the current chaos, Missourians for a New Approach has not formally suspended the campaign yet, and Viets vows that the effort will be back if it does perish in the wake of COVID-19.

“If we can’t accomplish it this year, we will very likely be back in 2022."

After being deemed essential businesses in many states, cannabis companies have been busier than ever amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and product manufacturers like Platinum are no exception.

Co-founder George Sadler says it’s business as usual for the California-based company, which produces vapes and edibles for sale in California, Michigan and Oklahoma.

In early March, Platinum foresaw potential supply shortages for its vape cartridge hardware and batteries, which are produced in China. The company secured a large volume of these items from a United States-based supplier to avoid interruptions in the supply chain, which has proven to be a large advantage, Sadler tells Cannabis Business Times.

“That was probably the most critical point for us, was the fact that we got into that early enough and were able to do that,” he says. “Other than that, our packaging is made right here in the U.S., [so] we don’t have the issue with that. As far as product goes, there aren’t any change because in the cannabis space, everybody’s still up and running. We haven’t seen any slowdown in any flower or trim or anything else.”

As long as the company’s cultivation partners continue to operate, Sadler does not anticipate any product shortages.

“It wouldn’t be the first time that I was wrong, but I just don’t see it being an issue because a lot of people have always carried a large inventory and backstock,” he says. “If the cultivators were shut down, then we’d have huge issues looking forward because you wouldn’t have a supply. But on the cultivator’s side, … we are deemed essential, [and] there hasn’t been a call to shut down. … There shouldn’t be anything drastic when it comes to shortages or supply and demand. I think it’s just business as usual.”

Photo courtesy of Platinum

Seemingly, the only issue Platinum has run into is dispensaries postponing scheduled patient appreciation days in their stores, where manufacturers would normally spend time educating customers on their products. Platinum has a full team in California dedicated to operating patient appreciation days in partnership with the state’s retailers, and these employees have since been brought into the manufacturing facility to work for the time being.

Like many other essential businesses, Platinum has increased its cleaning and sanitation measures at its facility to keep its employees safe. Doors, knobs, bathrooms, tables and computers are regularly wiped down, and while employees are encouraged to stay home if they have symptoms of illness, only one employee has been unable to work, and that is due to childcare issues rather than illness, Sadler says.

More broadly speaking, Sadler says the cannabis industry has many lessons to learn from this unprecedented moment in history. First and foremost, he says cannabis businesses need to understand the importance of being deemed an essential business during this uncertain time, and the responsibility to employees and customers that goes along with that.

“We’re really being recognized as a need,” Sadler says. “That’s huge, and we’re going to see that probably come to light when this all starts to get back to normal … [with] decisions being made on deregulation … [and] banking.”

While many other businesses have been forced to close, leaving their employees out of work, the cannabis industry has a unique opportunity to keep people employed, he adds, and Platinum recently hired 15 new employees for its Michigan operations.

“We’re just one company that employs 160 to 180 people, but all these cannabis companies [are] doing a big part in keeping people working and keeping people active,” Sadler says. “You have to make everybody feel secure in coming to work every day. … It’s educating your employees, talking to them, understanding their positions. … There are a lot of great companies out there in the cannabis space that are doing everything that they can to keep their part going. … There are a lot of people out of work right now—a lot of people who aren’t that fortunate."

BOULDER, COLO. — March 31, 2020 — PRESS RELEASE — Boulder, Colo.-based cannabis company Terrapin Care Station is postponing all 420 promotions, sponsorships and events in an effort to do its part amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Terrapin made the decision to postpone all activities related to the unofficial cannabis holiday to encourage social distancing and self-isolation during this time of uncertainty. The April 20th 420 “holiday” is normally an opportunity for cannabis companies and consumers to get together and celebrate progress made on the legalization front. But with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis pushing a #DoingMyPartCO campaign, in which people are encouraged to make sacrifices in the fight against COVID-19, Terrapin felt it was prudent to suspend any 420-related marketing activities. The company will re-evaluate plans after stay-at-home orders are lifted and health officials believe we have turned the corner in the fight against the virus. 

“Now is the time for us to do our part. That means making sacrifices,” said Chris Woods, owner and chief executive of Terrapin Care Station, which has six cannabis storefronts in Colorado. “We understand that 420 is a time of celebration for all that we have accomplished in our efforts to end cannabis prohibition. But there is a bigger battle at our doorsteps today, and we must do our part to control the spread of this deadly virus. We hope that by suspending 420-related marketing, people will be encouraged to social distance this April.”

Cannabis companies have been allowed to remain operational as a “critical” service in Colorado and in most legal marijuana states. In Denver, Mayor Michael Hancock flirted with the idea of closing cannabis companies. But the order spurred panic buying, which defeated the purpose of social distancing as hundreds flocked to cannabis stores to stock up. The prohibition in Denver lasted just over two hours before the mayor rolled back the proposal, allowing cannabis stores to remain operational.

As an industry, cannabis businesses have quickly adjusted operating procedures to allow for curbside pickup and online ordering; Terrapin Care Station has adjusted shift schedules to encourage employees to stay home if they’re not feeling well or to care for a loved one; increased sanitization procedures; mandated hand-washing and wearing personal protective equipment; and the team constantly pushes social distancing for customers and employees, to name a few adjustments. As a company, Terrapin Care Station wanted to do more to encourage people to self-isolate and social distance. Suspending 420 activities is just one additional step.

Recognizing that many are experiencing economic hardship and job loss stemming from COVID-19, Terrapin is offering discounts on products. The Terrapin Relief Package will see discounts of at least 20 percent on some products during the month of April. We have also been offering discounts on cannabis consumption accessories in the wake of COVID-19. Instead of sharing pre-rolls and consumption glassware and apparatuses, Terrapin Care Station is encouraging its customers to puff, puff—don’t pass.

“We have made great progress as an industry. Just the fact that we have been deemed an essential service during this outbreak is further evidence of our evolution,” Woods added. “But that didn’t come without work and determination. We won hearts and minds by leading by example and acting responsibly. Suspending 420 and encouraging individual cannabis use is simply an extension of our efforts to lead by example."