Getting a Covid-19 shot in Washington state can now be rewarded with free weed.
The state’s Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) announced the temporary “Joints for Jabs” campaign Monday, giving the green light for licenced dispensaries to hand out one free joint to those who’ve had their first or second Covid-19 shot at an in-store vaccine clinic.
Pre-rolled joints are the only cannabis product allowed to be given out and only to adults 21 and older.
Since the vaccination efforts got underway, corporate incentives have been popping up in a bid to get more people immunized. From a Krispy Kreme donut to a full-ride scholarship lottery, free perks for vaccines have spread across markets, including the cannabis industry.
An Arizona dispensary already has a similar “Snaxx for Vaxx” campaign going, which offers a pre-roll and an edible gummy to people who get the shot. And a Michigan dispensary’s “Pot for Shot” is also offering a joint with proof of vaccination.
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Back in January, D.C. Marijuana Justice (DCJM), a group that advocates for cannabis policy reform, announced its plans to distribute weed outside vaccination clinics. The group described it as a community effort to highlight the need to further cannabis reform and advocate for equitable vaccine distribution.
DCJM’s initiative led to a partnership with its counterpart New York Marijuana Justice, according to Forbes, to coordinate “Jabs for Joints” events on April 20. When the day rolled around, they did just that: doling out joints to people with a vaccination card in New York’s Union Square Park.
The DCJM said volunteers in the District of Columbia handed out more than eight pounds of weed rolled up into more than 4,200 joints.
There isn’t any harm in smoking weed after getting the shot, though health authorities advise against being high while getting immunized because being high could impede informed consent.
To date, just over half of Americans have received their first shot, and around 42 per cent are fully vaccinated, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Washington’s LCB also allowed the option for liquor licensees to serve a free drink — either beer, wine or a cocktail — with proof of vaccination. That initiative kicked off in May and runs until the end of June.
Link to photographer Elsa Olofsson’s Flickr
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