Residents in Washington state who are of legal age may get a free joint at licensed marijuana stores if they choose to get an on-site coronavirus vaccine, officials announced Monday.
“The ‘Joints for Jabs’ program was approved by the state Liquor and Cannabis Board as a way to entice residents to get vaccinated,” the New York Post reported.
The program is for anyone who is over 21 years of age. In exchange for taking the shot, weed stores will offer a pre-rolled joint at no charge.
In a press release, the Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) said it “received multiple requests from cannabis retail licensees to engage in promotions to support state vaccination efforts.”
“This allowance is effective immediately. The allowance is optional for licensees, and will expire on July 12, 2021,” the release continued.
The state has already offered additional incentives to encourage residents to get the shot.
“Breweries, wineries and restaurants can offer free drinks in exchange for proof of vaccination. Free sports tickets and prize money of up to $1 million are also being offered,” the Post article read.
Washington State Parks said last week it was pleased to take part in the incentive program. “We’ll be giving away 80 one-week-of-free-camping gift cards, worth $250 each,” the agency wrote in a tweet:
Meanwhile, one-fifth of American adults have made no plans to get vaccinated, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Vaccine Monitor, Breitbart News reported May 29:
The May survey, which tracks the population’s progress and attitudes toward vaccinations for the Chinese coronavirus, found “steady progress” in the percentage of U.S. adults getting vaccinated, 62 percent of U.S. adults indicating they have received at least one virus shot — a six-point uptick from April’s survey. The percentage of those who say they will “wait and see” before getting a vaccine fell three points, going from 15 percent to 12 percent.
“However, one in five Americans indicated they do not plan to get the vaccine. Of those, seven percent said they will only get it ‘if required,’ and 13 percent said they will ‘definitely not’ get vaccinated,” the report stated.