“There’s no relief for us, unlike any other business in the country. We’re probably in about as tough a spot as you can be in,” Brandon Pollock, co-owner and CEO of the recreational and medicinal marijuana dispensary Theory Wellness in Massachusetts, told Newsweek this week when asked about the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Since the pandemic began, the company has experienced a 90 percent decline in sales, Pollock said. That’s largely because Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker classified recreational sales of marijuana as nonessential and allowed only medicinal shops to stay open. A loan from the federal government would allow him to keep employees on the payroll and to pay rent at the company’s store locations.
“We’re not asking for a handout. We would be more than happy to pay the money back, but it’s very tough to get loans in the cannabis industry,” he said. “For us, it’s just a fairness situation. We pay millions of dollars a year in federal taxes. We should be able to receive help just like any other taxpaying business.”