California has finally clarified that cannabis industry workers are generally eligible for the first round of coronavirus vaccines.
At the same time, San Diego County is moving in the opposite direction, relegating cannabis employees to a lower vaccine distribution tier than was previously announced locally.
But statewide, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said in updated guidance on Thursday that retail cannabis workers are included in Phase 1A of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, meaning they can qualify as essential health care employees. While the state said this applies to “medicinal cannabis” workers, many dispensaries in California serve both patients and adult-use consumers.
The updated notice also clarifies that cannabis industry employees who work in cultivation, production, storage, transportation and distribution are included in the first phase second-highest tier, Phase 1B. That stage of the rollout is also currently underway in some counties throughout the state.
Read more at marijuanamoment.net