How lobbyists and panicked Denverites kept liquor stores and marijuana dispensaries open during coronavirus

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Summary

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock reversed himself twice on March 23 when he ordered residents to stay at home to prevent spreading the coronavirus sweeping the country. In the hours before Hancock’s announcement, she and several medical marijuana patients issued a news release urging the city to keep dispensaries open. Within minutes there were lines out the door and around the corner at dispensaries.” Rather than dwell on the Denver order, Sovine worked to prevent other bureaucratic dominoes from falling. The executive director of the Colorado Brewers Guild had expected that breweries would be deemed essential and kept open. Herod agreed, noting that by the time she spoke with Hancock, he was clearly open to the idea of changing the order.

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Denver Mayor Michael Hancock reversed himself twice on March 23 when he ordered residents to stay at home to prevent spreading the coronavirus sweeping the country.

Had he stuck to his instinct, the mayor could have avoided hours of intense lobbying from residents, small-business owners, industry advocates and politicians, all of whom urged his administration toward the city’s ultimate conclusion: Liquor stores and recreational marijuana shops should be considered essential and remain open during Denver’s stay-at-home order.

Instead, Hancock double-checked...

Read the full article @ Denver Post