Curaleaf and other Gainesville medical marijuana clinics weren’t forced to close during the COVID-19 pandemic because they were considered essential businesses.
The reflective glass surfaces and pinewood countertops at Curaleaf Gainesville resemble a tech store. The only difference is that employees sell grass instead of Apple.
Florida’s medical marijuana industry continues to thrive during the pandemic. About 50,000 Floridians have gotten a medical marijuana card since January. Gainesvilles Marijuana dispensaries and medical marijuana doctors are bringing that industry to patients in the county.
Curaleaf, located at 2300 SW 34th St., is one of the seven medicinal marijuana clinics in gainesville. The company, which has 28 locations across the state, sells products that contain THC and CBD, natural compounds found in marijuana, said Yesenia Garcia, a company spokesperson.
While the COVID-19 pandemic caused economic hardship, Garcia said Curaleaf’s sales remained unchanged. None of Curaleaf’s locations were forced to close because the state classified them as essential businesses, Garcia said.
While the dispensaries stayed open, Garcia said COVID-19 impacted how they conducted business. Curaleaf began offering curbside services to patients March 28, four days before Gov. Ron DeSantis’ April 1 stay-at-home order.
Patients place orders online before pick up, Garcia said. They also communicate with clinic employees about what products best suited their needs without getting out of their cars.
“That allowed patients the ability to still come out and purchase their medicine in what was a safer environment,” she said.
Curaleaf also offered free statewide delivery for patients who didn’t want to drive, Garcia said. The Gainesville location used two white Nissan NV200’s for its deliveries.
Garcia said the company made those changes to make the process easier for patients during the pandemic.
“We refer to our patients as our Curafam,” Garcia said.
During the pandemic, curbside pickup made up 92 percent of sales, Garcia said. Delivery made up the other 8 percent of sales. She said she believes customers favored curbside pickup because it allowed them to interact with others.
Medical marijuana cards are only available to people with certain conditions, such as cancer, HIV, seizure disorders and glaucoma, said Jane Edwards, officer manager at Florida Marijuana Doctors, a medical marijuana clinic located at 2845 NW 41 St in Gainesville.
Prescriptions are only valid for up to seven months, Edwards said. Current patients who need to renew their cards must schedule appointments through Doxy.me, a service like Zoom for medical screenings.
New patients are seen one at a time in the office Mondays under strict social distancing protocols, Edwards said. Masks are required, and patients’ temperatures are also taken.
Edwards said the business has remained steady because the clinic wanted to limit potential exposure to COVID-19. Throughout May, the clinic doctor held drive-thru appointments, where he would have his desk outside.
“They would stay in their cars, kinda like going to a Sonic,” she said.
Ashley Trudell got her medical marijuana card about a year ago. She said her card allows her to purchase 2.5 ounces of marijuana every 35 days. However, she has preferences in how she uses her medicine.
Flower is Trudell’s favorite, and she uses most of her prescriptions for it, she said. Flower is the unprocessed, nugget shaped form of cannabis that is consumed by burning it and inhaling the smoke. She said she also uses shatter, a solid marijuana extract which is vaporized for consumption without consuming smoke.
The 32-year-old said going to a clinic now contrasts with before COVID-19. Patients used to wait in line until they were called into the room with a clinic worker.
At first, the clinics didn’t know what was going on, but as places shut down due to COVID-19, most clinics changed to curbside pickup only, Trudell said. Patients put in orders online, called and made payments.
Trudell likened picking up her medications to a Mcdonald’s order at a drive-thru. She said she ordered, waited at least 10 minutes and got what she needed.
“I’m sure if I had been a little apprehensive or had questions, I know they would’ve met me halfway and figured it out with me,” Trudell said.
With a schedule that’s constantly changing, Trudell can’t use delivery services for her medical marijuana. Delivery services are based on a window time frame like when waiting for a UPS package. She said she would resort to delivery only if she could order her medications and have them at her doorstep in an hour.
Trudell said her experiences picking up medicine will improve if clinics continue offering curbside pickup after the pandemic calms down.
“They seem to truly care about the patients, and they treat everyone like patients instead of like drug users,” she said.
Contact Tristan at twood@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @TristanDWood.
