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I wouldn’t necessarily recommend going through life as a pessimist, but as someone who is constantly preparing for the worst-case scenario, there’s something to be said for being ready for everything to go to shit and knowing you’ll at the very least be pleasantly surprised if stuff works out in the end.
Thanks to this mindset, I started to do a little bit of stockpiling whenever I went to the store beginning a few weeks ago on the off chance a certain illness that had begun to make its way around the globe ended up setting up shop in the United States.
As a result, I was pretty ahead of the curve of the people who frantically flocked to supermarkets over the weekend in search of non-perishables and an inordinate amount of toilet paper when it became clear the first of what will likely be many turds to come out of this current shitstorm had hit the fan.
Over the past week or so, officials around the United States have enacted some pretty drastic measures in the interest of public health and many businesses have been hit incredibly hard as bars and restaurants have been ordered to close and the general public is encouraged to exercise “social distancing” and avoid large gatherings of people.
However, no one has been hit harder with restrictions than residents of San Francisco, as people in the city were ordered to “shelter in place” beginning on Tuesday and will only be able to leave their homes in order to make purchases at businesses that are deemed “essential.”
Of course, the definition of “essential” varies depending on who you ask and the city released a lengthy list of businesses that meet the requirements that “liquor stores” is noticeably absent from.
However, the Department of Public Health decided to do San Francisco’s denizens a solid by opting to allow marijuana dispensaries in the city to continue to operate during the current crisis, and while it cited the medical benefits of the drug when explaining its rationale, recreational users will also be allowed to make purchases to make self-isolation a little less miserable.
Cannabis is an essential medicine for many San Francisco residents. Dispensaries can continue to operate as essential businesses during this time, while practicing social distancing and other public health recommendations.
— SFDPH (@SF_DPH) March 17, 2020
Dispensaries weren’t on the initial list of essential businesses before officials had a change of heart, and on Monday, plenty of people threw caution to the wind and lined up in close proximity to each other while scrambling to stock up for an indeterminable long haul.
https://twitter.com/E_Hellerstein/status/1239732397358190592
Meanwhile, in New York City, business is currently booming for delivery services as anxious customers hit up the number they have saved as “The Guy” in their phone so I’m glad to see everyone still has their priorities in order.