CANNABIS CULTURE – The biggest event of the 21st century, the COVID-19 outbreak, has dominated human behavior and mindshare. For the first time in my life and for most people reading this, the whole world is focused on solving one problem.

In order to stop the spread and help treat those that are infected, we need medical professionals, volunteers and supplies.

Already, a number of cannabis companies have stepped up to help.

Canopy Growth Corporation, the 800lb gorilla of the industry, recently donated “thousands” of gloves, Tyvek suits, and masks sourced from two massive greenhouses in British Columbia.

While small and mid-sized cannabis ventures lack the budget of Canopy, they can still make a difference.

At Crazy Calm, a CBD coffee startup, we initially thought about contacting the retailers that carry us. That’s the bulk of our sales.

But as you’ve probably seen, and for good reason, movement is a bit restricted right now. Many retailers that carry us are closed and limited. But our e-commerce platform is unaffected.

Per our announcement on our blog that we published this week:

For every online order from now until the end of March, all profits will be donated to Direct Relief.

We chose Direct Relief (DirectRelief.org) because they have a long standing track record, have already helped tremendously and will continue to do so:

“In the U.S., Direct Relief is delivering protective masks – along with exam gloves and isolation gowns – to health care organizations in areas with confirmed COVID-19 cases.

In China, Direct Relief has delivered via FedEx more than 30,000 pounds of protective gear — nearly 800,000 N95 and surgical masks, more than 400,000 gloves, and numerous coveralls, face shields, and shoe covers — to frontline health workers.”

We are also trying to donate some CBD coffee to medical professionals in collaboration with Vinder, a peer to peer farmers market service that is helping restaurants sell their perishable goods to local Austin residents.

I share the above examples to show that there are many ways to get involved and make a contribution to the global crisis we all face together.