Several medical cannabis companies in Florida are providing financial relief and other support to employees and residents affected by Hurricane Ian.
Miami-based Fluent, a vertically integrated operator, provided thousands of dollars in relief funds for its displaced workforce and established a GoFundMe campaign for colleagues to contribute.
The company, which has reopened all 15 of the medical marijuana dispensaries it closed since the storm made landfall Sept. 28 on Florida’s southwest coast, also gave gift and gas cards to employees.
“We are aware of five employees that lost homes,” said CEO Robert Beasley, who has been travelling across the state to assess employee welfare and operations.
“As we continue to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Ian, my heart goes out to all those who have been devastated by the storm.”
Tallahassee-based multistate operator Trulieve Cannabis, the largest dispensary operator in the state, established the Trulieve Employee Relief Fund to assist impacted workers and help them begin rebuilding.
“The fund has already collected over $10,000 for those in need, and Trulieve is matching 100% of all employee donations dollar for dollar,” Trulieve spokesperson Rob Kremer told MJBizDaily.
Employees have donated their time as well, staffing a recent two-day event to feed more than 350 residents in the hard-hit coastal community of Port Charlotte.
TRP, a vertically integrated MSO, held food drives and accepted monetary donations at its Cookies Miami dispensary.
The company also planned to make donations to local charities to further support Miami’s neighboring communities affected by the deadly storm.
More on Hurricane Ian's impact
- How Florida cannabis operators can weather fallout from Hurricane Ian
- Hurricane Ian forces Florida marijuana companies to close as operators assess fallout
Illinois-based multistate operator Verano Holdings, which operates 59 dispensaries in Florida under the MÜV brand, is providing support to employees who incurred damage to their homes or property.
“Additionally, we will also make a donation to a Florida relief fund to support community recovery efforts across the state in the wake of this devastating storm,” Verano President John Tipton said.
Chris Casacchia can be reached at chris.casacchia@mjbizdaily.com.
