State Says Cannabis Workers Should Get Vaccine Priority. Not All Counties Are On Board.

In an updated guidance Thursday, the state clarified that cannabis retail employees selling medicinal cannabis are included in Phase 1A of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout alongside other healthcare workers. Similarly, those who work in cannabis cultivation, production, storage, transportation and distribution are part of the second-highest priority, Phase 1B, the state said.

The United Cannabis Business Association (UCBA) thanked Gov. Gavin Newsom for his commitment to cannabis worker safety on Thursday. The Association had previously sent a letter to the governor’s vaccine advisory committee pushing for the prioritization of cannabis industry employees.

As Marijuana Moment notes, not all counties are on board. San Diego has actually lowered the priority for cannabis employees, removing them from the first tier. The decision came amid criticism from people like Supervisor Jim Desmond. The county’s previous stance put cannabis workers ahead of people and teachers, he complained.