So this COVID-19 thing is for real. It’s an infectious disease caused by a novel (new) coronavirus with no known cure. COVID-19 has killed tens of thousands, infected hundreds of thousands more, and effected the lives of people all over the world. This is the first global pandemic that many people are experiencing in their lifetime, including all of us stoners who were really looking forward to a whole month of 4/20 this year!!
First off, please be mindful of CDC guidelines during this time, stay home and adhere to the social distancing measures that are being advised by the government and other local and worldwide health authorities. Thankfully, so far states (with legal cannabis) have deemed cannabis businesses as “essential” and not made them lockdown like many other companies during this time. I would encourage you to continue to support your local dispensaries and cannabis retail shops and to take advantage of curbside delivery or other pick up/to-go types of services they are offering in order to minimize contact with others. We can still partake responsibly and be mindful of social distancing while purchasing cannabis products! Then, get that cannabis home and STAY THERE. As they say: stay home, save lives!!
Second, I have to make clear that smoking weed when you’re down with a virus is not a great idea. Yes, THC and CBD have pain-relieving, sleep-inducing, and anti-inflammatory properties, but inhaling hot smoke is the last thing your lungs need when fighting a cold or flu. Do your research before medicating.
That being said, and assuming you are healthy, what’s a quarantined stoner to do??? You have weeks on end at home in COVID-19 quarantine or lockdown and still want to enjoy your cannabis products and the cannabis community. I have pieced together some options for activities to do, online communities and events, and cannabis centric products that can help you stay calm and weather this wild time.
Cannabis products to help you get through the Coronavirus quarantines
All of these products are available online AND can be shipped nationwide!!
Loungewear and candle by Huxton
So, you are being socially responsible and staying home for the foreseeable future. First things first…let’s get comfy!! Huxton offers a variety of cannabis products for consumption but they also have this great apparel line. This super soft, lightweight hoodie features slim kangaroo pockets with cuffless sleeves. Perfect for a day of working from home or a relaxing evening on the couch! Their hand poured soy candle burns up to 40 hours. Notes of lemon, jasmine, amber musk and sandal wood will fill the room and leave you with cozy, comforting feeling. I have used this candle before as well and found it to be one of the best for both calming the mind and for covering up other odors.
Cedarwood Bergamot CBD Lotion by Empower
Empower is my favorite topical brand, hands down. Not only do they have have amazing story of how they came to be, but they are a woman-owned and operated company and have been pioneering the cannabis movement and industry here in Oregon for years. Most recently, Empower has been offering their (REAL, legit) CBD products in shops for mainstream consumers (not just in dispensaries!). The relief these products give with the combination of their effect and scent is just amazing. They have 3 fantastic CBD lotions that all soothe, refresh, and moisturize with a lovely calming effect, but the Cedarwood Bergamot is my favorite. Empower’s bath salts also have Bergamot and are the product that actually made me fall in love with this scent. . All of the Empower® Topical Relief Lotions are a synergistic combination of organic aloe, essential oils, organic carrier oils, and CBD derived from organically grown hemp. The lotion’s airless pump bottle provides an air-tight vacuum effect that increases shelf life & draws the lotion upward, so you get every last drop. Hemp Derived Cannabinoid Content is 175mg* CBD per 50mL bottle. I don’t think I need to explain while we all need a little helping staying calm and relaxing right now so enjoy…and get one for your mom while you’re at it!
CBD Smokes pre roll packs from Lowell Farms
Get top quality, 100% natural, organic CBD smokes, pre-rolls and CBD joints from one of the best: Lowell Farms. Lowell has my favorite pre roll packs HANDS DOWN and now they have them with CBD flower as well. Lowell treats their hemp with the same respect and care as all of their flowers; offering a flavorful blend of Hemp grown specifically for those who desire a whole-plant terpene rich experience…because who isn’t in need of a little extra CBD to relax right now?? And, you can enjoy free shipping on orders over $60…so you may as well go ahead and get some of this super cozy comfy lounge wear that Lowell makes as well.
Immunity Boost bath bomb by Cannabombz
One of the best ways to enjoy your time at home and relax is to enjoy the extra time you have for taking baths. Cannabombz bath products are exactly what every stoner needs to get the most out of your bath time. The create homemade, relaxing, pain relieving, medicated bath bombs that are made with CBD, essential oils and homegrown herbs. Since we are all focused on staying home and staying healthy during this global pandemic, trying out the Immunity Boost bomb seemed fitting. This bomb includes Frankincense, Tea Tree, Rosemary, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Sweet Orange and is Topped with Fresh Rosemary Trimmings. Although, I have to say all of their bath bomb formulations are wonderful.
Muse herbal blend by BARBARI
Herbs and botanicals have been smoked, steeped and smudged for hundreds of years. These blends are crafted with food-grade herbs and are carefully sourced from quality farms for safe smoking, steeping, and burning. Like components of a perfume or a bedtime tea, the properties in the herbs blend together for a full-bodied experience, creating a composition that can be restorative to internal systems, calm or awaken the mind. The Muse blend can be rolled into spliff with your favorite cannabis flower, sprinkled on top of a bowl, or enjoyed as is. The Muse blend contains peppermint, jasmine flower, raspberry leaf, and sage. Like a breath of fresh, mind-opening air, this aromatic mix helps clear mental clutter and replaces it with renewed imagination. All BARBARI Herbal Blends are made with organic, food grade herbs. Contains 16g of loose-leaf herb. Excellent for surviving your time at home during the Covid 19 quarantine!
Orange Mint CBD vape pen from 22Red
This vape pen contains 59.4% hemp derived CBD and is potent and smooth. Reminiscent of orange mint tea, it is a relaxing strain that gives you a nice kick of citrus with a cool finish. The hemp derived CBD only vape gives you that chill without the high. 22Red Hemp CBD is carefully sourced and extracted from high quality hemp. And who doesn’t need a little more “chill” in their life right now?
Fun activities to enjoy while you’re high at home
The coronavirus pandemic as has us all with more time on our hands at home. For many stoners, a COVID-19 lockdown might be the moment they’ve been waiting for (YES! I can smoke weed and binge watch Netflix all night!) and for some it might be almost soul crushing (I NEED my stoner circle!!). Either way, we need to do this for the safety of ourselves and others during this global pandemic AND made the best of our time. Is it time to finally start that home grow? Can you learn how to roll joints finally? Can you perfect that batch of perfect pot brownies you’ve always wanted to back? Or, maybe it’s just time to be more mindful of other things you can hone in on, like mediation, self-care, or other skills. Here’s a few…
Self care
This is the perfect time to bring your self care to whole new level. We always want to keep ourselves healthy and maybe more important now than ever, considering the novel coronavirus is something none of us have a known immunity to at this point. I believe self care is critical to our health and overall well-being, and can include anything from eating healthy to exercising to creating artwork or mediating. The new book Finding Your Higher Self, by Sophie Saint Thomas, outlines every way you can think of to incorporate cannabis in your self care routines, whether they are new or established. There are some excellent online platforms to help with fitness and exercise, including my personal favorite for stoned yoga-Adam Andrews Johnson, who is now hosting free classes several time a week via Instagram Live! Many other platforms are also doing online offerings for free right now.
Cannabis skills
Looking to try out a home grow? Get some starter tips here. Cultivating your own cannabis is SO rewarding in so many ways, and now you can finally take the time to set up that closet or a grow tent. And, since it’s spring, this is the best time to start planning or plotting an outdoor garden as well. While you’re at it, go ahead and throw in some seeds for peas, carrots, and lettuce and you’re on your way to a victory garden!
Not the gardening type, how about working on those pre roll skills? Rolling a joint is something that many stoners don’t do, or don’t do well, and now we have the time to perfect that! Check out these steps. I am so grateful that cannabis is being deemed as an essential business in all the Covid 19 lockdowns so far, and we should make sure we are supporting the cannabis industry accordingly as consumers.
Online cannabis platforms and communities:
So the most obvious way to pass time at home is with the multitude of options that we have online. I bet social media platforms are hitting an all time high with their engagement numbers, and that Netflix is more watched now than ever. I thought this was some great streaming advice from Respect my Region if you’re into the media marathon thing. But, I also wanted to let you know about these awesome online platforms that are beefing up or modifying their content and events during the coronavirus pandemic quarantines.
Online events and forums with Tokeativity
Tokeativity, The Global Feminist Community for Active Cannabis Culture, hosts community events across the globe that focus on empowerment, cannabis normalization and consumption culture through creative, social, political, and feminist forward activities in local chapters across the globe. They have moved their wildly popular social events online for the time being, and have also launched a series of Toking Hours. Because we all miss having a sesh with others, right? A virtual sesh isn’t the same but they ARE super fun in a different kind of way. Sign up for their Connect platform and you will have a live studio, forums, and all the event details at your fingertips.
Grow House on High Times
These people are some fantastic cannabis advocates and their Instagram content has been some of my favorite to watch since the coronavirus quarantines started. Check them out for a good laugh and also for helpful stoner-centric information about this weird time in history that we are all trying to navigate at the moment.
Katsu Seed giveaways with Katsu Club
These are happening every day and you can follow their Instagram for more, but here are the basics: In an effort to bring a bit of fun to our quarantine they are giving away a 3-pack of seeds EVERY SINGLE DAY to Katsu Club members until the national coronavirus lockdown is over. All you need to do is 1) Be a Katsu Club Member; 2) Make sure you check your email every day – they will be emailing the winner in the morning and you have until midnight PST to respond; 3) If the winner doesn’t respond, the unclaimed pack will be given away to the next winner. If several people in a row fail to respond, the person that does finally respond will get a windfall of beans.
At the end of the day, try and use this time to the best of your ability and try and find ALL the silver linings!! We WILL get through this and I am hopeful that the cannabis industry movement will be stronger than ever when all the dust settles (we are getting called ESSENTIAL, y’all!!) Stay home, stay heathy, and for everyone’s benefit please practice social distancing and WASH YOUR HANDS!!
**I will continue to update this list with other ideas so please check back!!
