As states across the U.S. offer various incentives for residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine (including, most notably, multi-million-dollar lottery entries from Ohio to New York to California), the cannabis industry has lent its support to the cause. Washington and Arizona are both partnering with cannabis businesses to provide pre-rolls to residents who show proof of vaccination.
In Washington, the state’s Liquor and Cannabis Board announced “Joints for Jabs” earlier this month, a new campaign to incentivize vaccination rates. As of June 11, the state of Washington is clocking a 49% rate among the full population.
Any Washington state retailer may opt into the program and present a free pre-roll to customers who receive the vaccine at an in-store clinic “event.”
The Washington campaign ends July 12.
The Mint Cannabis Dispensary in the greater Phoenix area is also getting in on the campaign. The retailer partnered with Commerce Medical Group to administer shots on-site, making it even easier for residents to pick up their free pre-roll and gummy. The team at Mint is calling this “Snax for Vaxx.”
Earlier this year, according to the Arizona Republic, the Mint started the free pre-roll offer to anyone who came into the dispensary with proof of vaccination. But it soon became clear that customers weren’t entirely sure where to get the vaccine in the first place.
“We had a lot of people coming in and asking us, ‘I don't have [the vaccine], where do I get it,’” chief operating officer Raul Molina told the paper. “And that’s what led to this. … At least in our clientele, there's a little bit more of an older crowd, and I think a lot of those people that haven't got it yet in the older crowd are looking to get it.”
