COVID-19 Vaccine Perk: Activists Offer Free Marijuana To Vaccinated People

The global COVID-19 vaccine rollout is underway, and groups in Washington D.C. and Detroit are offering a perk for those who will get a jab of the inoculation - cannabis.

Cannabis activist group DC Marijuana Justice (DCMJ) recently announced a rather unique project it plans to undertake along with the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out. Called 'Joints for Jabs,' the project aims to "lawfully distribute" free bags of cannabis outside Washington D.C. vaccination centers.

"We are looking for ways to safely celebrate the end of the pandemic and we know nothing brings people together like cannabis," DCMJ co-founder Nikolas Schiller said in the press release. "DCMJ believes that cannabis should be consumed safely and responsibly, and the pandemic has made this incredibly difficult for many adults to share their homegrown cannabis."

As the DCMJ press release explained, the project has several objectives. Apart from being a means to "thank people for getting vaccinated," 'Joint for Jabs' also advocates for "equitable" vaccine distribution and opens the conversation on cannabis reform.

So far, several states like Nevada and California have legalized and decriminalized marijuana while others such as Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana have approved it for medical use, DISA Global Solutions noted in its map of marijuana legality per state. But there are other states where marijuana remains fully illegal.

According to the group, there are still millions of Americans who have to get their cannabis underground.

As for when the 'Joints for Jabs' project will happen, DCMJ will provide an update on the locations, dates, and hours, once the Department of Health releases the public vaccination sites, the group added.

Similarly, marijuana dispensary Greenhouse of Walled Lake in Detroit announced that those who have gotten their COVID-19 vaccine can receive a free pre-rolled joint. Called 'Pots for Shots,' the program will run from Friday, Jan. 22, until Feb. 28.

"If you choose to get the Covid vaccine (we always support the freedom of choice) this is our way of saying "thank you" for helping to end this pandemic and getting us back to normal," Greenhouse of Walled Lake said in a press release. "No Purchase Necessary, must be 21 years old or older or have a valid and unexpired medical card with ID. 1 Free pre-roll per patient/customer."

As for the DCMJ, the group also handed out cannabis during President Trump's inauguration in 2017, but it cannot do so for President-Elect Biden's upcoming inauguration. As the press release explained, this is because not a lot of people will have been vaccinated by then, so the traditional inauguration cannabis giveaway is instead postponed to "at least" summer.

"When enough adults are inoculated with the coronavirus vaccine, it will be time to celebrate – not just the end of the pandemic, but the beginning of the end of cannabis prohibition in the United States," Schiller said.