A Look-Back how the Cannabis Industry Helped Fight COVID-19 in 2020

Clearly, for millions, a brief glance in the rear-view mirror for 2020 is best left as just that…a glance. It had been, for more than nine, long months, one of the most challenging years in recorded history. The COVID-19 pandemic, it’s path of destruction in lost lives, displaced workers and students, along with a myriad of bankrupt industries has continued to wreak havoc across the globe.

But along the way, enterprising individuals and forward-thinking companies found a way to help people cope with and actual profit from the economic downturn wrought by the novel coronavirus. And as is in all doom and gloom scenarios, there is usually a light at the end of the tunnel, and this case a safe and effective vaccine that will hopefully eradicate the virus once and for all.

As giant pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson roll out their vaccines globally, smaller companies have stepped up to the plate from practically the start of the pandemic to help alleviate and mitigate the effects of the spread of COVID-19.

On April 2nd, Canada’s federal government deemed medical cannabis production “essential” to the country’s critical health-care infrastructure during the coronavirus pandemic. Ontario briefly, removed cannabis from its list of essential services but quickly returned.

The designation was intended to assist provinces, municipalities, and its businesses in their decision-making around the types of employees considered essential for the health, safety, security, and economic well-being of the country. The government of Ontario’s decision that cannabis retailers are an essential service was good news for companies like retailer Hobo Cannabis Co.

Back in late March, in the early stages of the breakout, Stockhouse reported how cannabis LPs were pivoting quickly to donate excess supplies to get Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) into hospitals and into the hands of frontline workers. Several major cannabis producers such as Canopy Growth (T.WEED) and HEXO Corp. (T.HEXO) provided dozens of hospitals with PPE’s such as face masks, gloves, and bodysuits.

Cannabis-related companies also found ingenious ways to convert processing and extraction facilities into creating hand sanitizers, for example. One such company was Better Plant Sciences Inc. (CSE.PLNT, Forum) – formerly The Yield Growth Corp. –which made significant strides since going public in December 2018, having established a broad distribution network for its various brands, exceeding 12,500 potential retail points of sale in countries throughout Europe, North America, and South America. It launched 17 new products in 2020 and grew its catalogue to over 200 edible, topical, and health & wellness products.

Making a quick pivot into helping fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company announced in late May that it had successfully completed its first manufacturing run of Urban Juve hand sanitizer spray. BOSS now fills retail and consumer pre-orders, including individual consumers, Canadian online retailers, and brick & mortar retail stores such as Pharmasave.

In the US, cannabis producer CannaCraft decided to take part in the fight against COVID-19. The Santa Rosa, CA-based cannabis company confirmed in April it was transformed one section of its manufacturing facility to create and package bottles of hand sanitizer.

The goal is to give the bottles away to individuals and organizations across California, which has confirmed over 2.5 million coronavirus cases to date.

And just this past November, Delta 9 Cannabis Inc. (TSX.DN, OTC: VRNDF, Forum) announced the introduction of its new decontamination pods to help fight COVID-19. Called D-Pods, the units are retrofitted shipping containers specially equipped with UV lights and heaters that will kill the virus on things like personal protective equipment

Unconditional acts of kindness are made with no expectation of reward or to profit. But companies with a conscience have shown that good deeds are often met with good fiscal results. And that’s always a win-win, however you look at.

Remember, we’re still all in this together. Be kind, be calm and be safe.


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