Evercannabis January 2022

JANUARY 2022

VOLUME 7, ISSUE 1

EVERCANNABIS.COM

POT SHOPS STEP UP FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS WITH DISABILITIES By Tracy Damon EVERCANNABIS CORRESPONDENT

Many who use marijuana may do so to treat pain, loss of muscle control, stress, anxiety, and other symptoms that can stem from at least one disability. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that there are 61 million disabled Americans, which is 1 in 4 or 26 percent of the population. Interestingly, while more people are enjoying legal access to cannabis as an alternative to opioids, they don’t necessarily receive protections from the Americans with Disabilities Act when they purchase cannabis or work in the cannabis industry. Since cannabis is still illegal at the federal level, there is some debate as to whether cannabis businesses must abide by federal ADA laws regarding accessibility, including providing reasonable accommodations for customers or staff with disabilities. Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act says that all businesses that operate as “places of public accommodation” must “remove architectural barriers in existing facilities… where such removal is readily achievable” to accommodate disabled patrons.

Many cannabis companies, which are technically classified as small businesses, may not be able to afford major physical overhauls to their storefronts that would make them accessible. They also may not be able to afford accommodations to help employees with disabilities comfortably maintain jobs. But some still try to do what they can. “We allow them (people in wheelchairs) to park right up next to the door,” said Brittany Friedlander, manager at Green Hand in north Spokane. “We have one girl in a wheelchair who has cerebral palsy whose caretaker isn’t 21 so they can’t come in. They get her to the door and I take her from there and wheel her around the shop.” Friedlander said while her shop doesn’t have an official medical marijuana endorsement, it does have customers who use wheelchairs, wear oxygen tanks, are Deaf or hard of hearing or have conditions that limit their movements. “A lot of people are older and don’t want to get on a computer, or physically can’t use a computer to pre-order,” Friedlander See DISABILITIES, 3

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This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of the reach of children.