Weed And Coronavirus: How To Save Money While Stocking Up On Marijuana

By WeedMaps' Hannah Meadows, provided exclusively to Benzinga Cannabis.

Since social distancing and quarantine have been widely enacted, many have been advised to work from home in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). But because so many other places are closing down that don't offer any kind of work from home options — such as restaurants, gyms, and retail shops — many aren't seeing paychecks coming in as the government figures out a plan to ease the burden.

And as some wait it out, others have stocked up on more than just toilet paper and hand sanitizer: according to Headset, a data analytics service for the cannabis industry, last week, “sales of Adult Use cannabis in Washington State were up 23% on Friday, 14% on Saturday, and 33% on Sunday.” Additionally, “average baskets on Sunday were $33.70 before taxes, up 22% over the prior week and 28% compared to baskets in January and February of this year.”

See Also: Weed And Coronavirus: A Guide To Staying In, Social Distancing And Marijuana Use

So whether you've bulked up your stash this past couple of weeks in preparation, or you're just planning on stretching whatever nugs and buds you have left, follow our guide to making your dollars last without completely depleting your favorite cannabis products.

What do quarantine and social distancing mean?

What's the difference between quarantine and social distancing? Vox recently reported on the coronavirus outbreak and the utilization of social distancing to help quell the spread of the virus:

• Quarantine: to separate individuals completely from the public if it is believed that they have been exposed, but aren't yet showing, symptoms of sickness.
• Social distancing: requires the public to refrain from social gatherings and maintain a conservative and clear radius around oneself and others when out and about.

Including these practices in your plan to help fight the virus will greatly and positively affect your community. Protecting those who are immunocompromised or most susceptible to the virus is the number one priority throughout this pandemic.

Even if you are symptom-free, you can still be a carrier of coronavirus. According to various experts interviewed by The Atlantic, you should be avoiding social interaction as much as possible at this time. This includes skirting the gym, canceling non-essential appointments such as beauty treatments, stepping away from birthday parties and large family or friend gatherings, and keeping a healthy separation between you and the public when grocery shopping or running errands. 

Basic tips for cannabis shopping

Depending on your state, some cannabis retailers have closed their doors to adult use consumers but may offer delivery or curbside pickup to patients at this time. If you still haven't made it to your local dispensary before total lockdown, but have access to goods or services, consider our shopping tips for the busiest times of the year. 

Once you find a retailer that does curbside pickup or delivery, see if there are any deals they are running. Typically, retailers will promote buy-one-get-one-free deals and specific discounts on certain items on their Weedmaps listing page under the Details and Deals sections. You can also take advantage of the Weedmaps Orders platform to order pickup and delivery online. 

And before you go out, follow our suggestions for avoiding germs and staying safe.

Save big with moon rocks

Want to get super elevated the cheapest way possible? Consider investing in a few nugs of moon rocks. These little devils are flower buds dipped in concentrate and then rolled in kief.

You won't have to smoke an entire bowl to feel the effects, just one or two puffs should get the job done.

Consider crumble

If you're big on concentrates yet falter on the high price tag, think about picking up some crumble. Unlike regular concentrates that are usually fluid or sticky, crumble is a type of concentrate extracted using a solvent and maintains a “crumbly” consistency.

You dab it just like you would any other concentrate while saving a few bucks since “a gram of shatter costs a median price of $40 compared to a median price of $37.50 for a gram of crumble,” according to WM News data.

Shake out your kief

Has it been a while since you've cleaned out your grinder? Is there a pile of kief in the trapper that's just waiting to shine? Well, now's the time to shake out your kief.

Kief can make any smoke session just a bit stonier — all you have to do sprinkle any leftover particles over fresh bowls of cannabis and you're good to go. It's one of the simplest ways to stretch your stash, even when you're down to the bare bones. 

If you don't have a large amount of kief at the bottom of your grinder, some retailers sell it by the gram at a cheaper price than other concentrates and some flower. 

Look for high THC strains

If you usually stay away from high THC strains, it may be worth your while to look at some of our picks in order to save some money. While low THC products definitely have their place in stash boxes everywhere, during times of financial distress, you may be able to get more for your buck with less when it comes to powerful strains.

Instead of going through a full joint, one, two or three puffs of high THC strains could be all you need to get the same effect.

Use terpenes to enhance cannabinoids

Terpenes are to cannabinoids as peanut butter is to jelly. They enhance the best qualities of cannabis and can expand on a certain elevation you're gearing toward. If you're looking to stretch the last of your weed, try a boost of terpenes to get you through the coming days of increased quarantine.

Featured image by Gina Coleman/Weedmaps. All images taken from Weedmaps.

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