Boston Area Residents Stockpile Marijuana In Case Of Coronavirus Quarantine

Some Massachusetts residents are preparing for the coronavirus pandemic by stockpiling supplies — emptying grocery store shelves, stacking up cans of black beans in their cupboards and, apparently, buying a lot of marijuana to make it through a potential extended self-quarantine period.

In Brookline, marijuana dispensary New England Treatment Access has eliminated all walk-in orders due to a high volume of customers, and will now only serve customers who place orders in advance. “In light of the current environment, we will remain open,” an announcement on the NETA website reads, “but will move to Reserve Ahead only starting on Saturday.”

Inside the Brookline store, employees wear latex gloves, and bottles of hand sanitizer and disinfectant spray sit beside each checkout station. The process is efficient, a quick in-and-out, as compared to the massive lines seen snaking around the parking lot of the shop in the past few days, according to NETA employees.

For customers like Mary K. Murray, purchasing a few months worth of marijuana products is the easiest way to manage her chronic hip pain, when other medications might be harder to come by. “I can’t stockpile my so-called traditional medications that are issued by a pharmacist at CVS or Walgreens,” Murray says, standing outside the NETA exit. [Read more at WGBH]