The recession and our economy are hitting everyone hard ... and not like you hit the bong. Everyone is having to cut corners including patients in need of Medical Marijuana. Our buddies at our favorite dispensary, the Green Cross in San Francisco, let us in on this SF Examiner article by staff writer, Tamara Barak Aparton.
Tamara reports on the current condition of the economy and it's effect on Cannabis Clubs in the Bay Area. Local Cannabis Clubs are hurting and having to make cut-backs. These cut backs are effecting hours, employee pay and contributions given back to the local community.
Tamara further reports:
The recession hit right after many San Francisco pot clubs had spent tens of thousands of dollars to comply with legislation passed in 2005 requiring them to meet city permit regulations.
Kevin Reed, founder of the Green Cross, which delivers medical marijuana to patients in San Francisco, said his sales are down 25 percent in the past 40 days, and dropped 45 percent in the past two weeks.
To survive, the collective cut its hours and cut its 12 employees’ pay by $2 an hour.
“It’s amazing to me,” Reed said. “It’s an industry I never thought could be affected.”
Reed said he thought marijuana would be a recession-proof product, much like alcohol.
“I always heard that if the economy went bad, people would be depressed,” he said. “The whole theory got blown out the window for me.”
The cost of the pot hasn’t risen, but the $300-an-ounce price tag has become a heavy burden for people who have lost their jobs and cut back on expenses. Insurance does not cover medicinal marijuana.
So get out there and support your local Cannabis Club, so they can continue to serve you.
