April 20, or 4/20, is the unofficial holiday of cannabis users everywhere — and for some, even a daily 4:20 is a worthy reason to celebrate.
And while the provenance of the numerical combo is debated (check out this VOX piece by former CityBeat writer German Lopez for some of the origin stories), it's definitely a day to toke, or vape, or take an edible.
In terms of legal consumption, one local medical marijuana dispensary has decided to leverage the holiday as a way to give back in the time of COVID-19.
Verilife, a chain of medical marijuana dispensaries with locations in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, is donating $4.20 from each transaction of $65 or more to "local facilities where frontline medical professionals are battling the coronavirus as well as organizations that are supporting their community members affected by this crisis," says a release.
Locally, the Verilife dispensary at 5431 Ridge Ave., Golf Manor is extending a helping hand to The Christ Hospital. They are also encouraging their patient-customers to make their own donations at check-out to those on the frontlines.
"We are extremely thankful to all frontline healthcare workers who continue to battle this health crisis," said Brett Novey, CEO of PharmaCann, Verilife's parent company, in the same release. "4/20 is both a celebration as well as a call to action, and on 4/20 this year, Verilife dispensaries nationwide will give back to the brave healthcare professionals fighting to save lives in our communities. PharmaCann’s frontline team is proud to support other frontline caregivers with this donation during these challenging times.”
Medical marijuana dispensaries are considered an essential business, like a pharmacy, and remain open in Ohio.
“This is a time to give our community members a helping hand, and there’s no better day for our team to give back than 4/20,” said Bill McMenamy, chief revenue officer of PharmaCann. “We know Verilife’s frontline is working tirelessly through these difficult times to give customers and patients some much-needed relief. The least we could do is help those who are selflessly working for others during this crisis.”
