Communicable diseases are highly contagious wherever large gatherings of people can be found, and unfortunately these gatherings are where many gain information and share expertise.
As events across the globe are being cancelled due to the pandemic outbreak of the novel Coronavirus, including St. Patrick’s Day events in Ireland and large portions of everyday life in Northern Italy and China, American cannabis conferences and events have faced similar scheduling problems.
Cannabis and CBD companies and industry groups were meant to meet at South By Southwest, the popular Austin, Texas tech and music conference, as well as a specific industry conference in Portland.
While Portland planned to host the Hemp and CBD Supplement Congress in April, the Portland Business Journal reports the relatively widespread viral proliferation in the Pacific Northwest has led to the conference’s cancellation. [1]
Oregon declared a state of emergency in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak after the state recorded 14 cases of the disease on Sunday, Newsweek reports. [2]
“We will do everything in our power to keep Oregonians safe,” Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said. “As your governor, I want to reiterate how seriously we are taking this situation.” [2]
According to Market Watch, cannabis and hemp events have been cancelled in Miami, Tel Aviv, Berlin and California in addition to the Portland and Austin events. [3]
SXSW would have attracted 280,000 people if it had run as planned, Market Watch said, all of whom would have had the chance to interact with presentations from CBD technologists and entrepreneurs. [3]
Benzinga reports that a World Health Organization plan to reassess the legal scheduling of cannabis has also been put off based on dangers from the virus. [4]
Despite potential slow-downs within the cannabis industry from the current pestilence gripping the planet, hemp and CBD are hardly alone.
Stocks plummeted Monday after more countries have come to face the gravity and severity of the illness.
Market Watch says CBD does have some some elements that could be helpful in facing the virus, though it could hardly be called a treatment. According to that reporting, CBD has anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties. [3]
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