According to the Mayo Clinic, a whopping 70 percent of Americans are on at least one medication, so it’s not surprising that establishments that maintain and distribute these medications are at the forefront of keeping the work, patient and customer environment safe. The insurgence of alternative medicine around the country, and the legalization of medicinal marijuana in some states, has led to the opening of dispensaries in order to cater to the individuals who have transitioned from pharmaceutical drugs to plant medicine. Like other essential businesses, dispensaries have taken steps to ensure the safety of their patients and staff.

   

Ordering and obtaining medicine has changed in order to maintain a safe interaction. Online menus and order forms make it easy to browse products, investigate the medicinal values of the products and determine which product will work best for particular symptoms and ailments.

   

Unlike pharmacies which offer mail order prescriptions, eliminating any face-to-face contact, dispensaries needed to develop ways to minimize contact, keep patients and employees safe and get the medicine to the people who need it. The dispensaries here in Tucson have done just that. Precautions and changes in distribution happened almost immediately, and as the circumstances changed, they stepped up.

   

Home delivery of plant medicines was already established for most dispensaries, but new curbside pickup has been instituted. Order the medicine that’s needed online, pay for the products online and wait for a confirmation text or email alerting the patient that the order is ready for pickup. There is still some face-to-face contact, but employees are masked, gloved and wiping down everything with sterilizing products. Medication can still be picked up inside the dispensary, but precautions have been put into practice as well. The dispensing rooms are for employees only. The employee will gather the products and bring them out to the waiting area. Only a certain number of patients are allowed in the waiting lounge at a time, and only valid cardholders are allowed in, while the people they are with can comfortably wait outside.

   

A few of the dispensary lobbies have industrial sized air purifiers running at all times. Masked and gloved employees circulate waiting rooms wiping down chairs and surfaces, key pads and door handles. This level of precaution has rarely been seen at the corporate, big-box pharmacies. Like some grocery stores and other essential businesses, signage on dispensary floors alert patients of the safe six-foot radius from each other. At Earth’s Healing, a new cashless system has been incorporated. Alt Thirty Six is a digital money exchange system which eliminates the transfer of cash or card from the patient to the bud-tender.

   

Many of the people who use medicinal marijuana have specific products that they purchase on a regular basis. These people have become their own health advocate. They’ve researched and tested numerous strains in order to find the right medicinal combination that works best for their own individual medical needs. One of the benefits of being in control of personal health is that when new issues show up, like a short stint of the flu, a seasonal allergy or a virus, they know and understand the products that can heal and speed up the recovery time.

   

Stress is present whenever there is uncertainty, fear, anger and frustration. Now is a great time to actually experience the soothing and calming effects of CBD oils and balms. Stress can cause anxiety, muscle tension and numerous other negative bodily reactions. There are products available to help ease some of the harmful effects that stress can have on the body, mind and spirit.