Marijuana sales surge amid coronavirus outbreak

Legal marijuana sales are up nationally as people stock up amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to new data.

Sales are spiking in California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, according to cannabis data company Headset. Recreational marijuana is legal in all five states.

Sales were 75 percent higher than average in Oregon, with the spike registered on March 16. Headset also found the average basket size — the amount of marijuana people were purchasing at one time — was 29 percent higher in Colorado earlier this week, as many states began closing businesses and asking people to remain in their homes.

Some cities — including New York, San Francisco and Palm Springs, Calif., according to The Associated Press — have labeled legal marijuana businesses “essential,” meaning they can remain open despite orders locking down the area.

Many customers in California are turning to home delivery of marijuana for the first time. Online delivery marketplace Eaze reported first-time delivery orders spiked over 50 percent on Monday, according to the AP.

Multiple stores also told the AP that many people are buying in bulk up to the legal limit, much like they might be doing for other essential household supplies like food and toilet paper.