Get The COVID Vaccine, Receive A Free Marijuana Joint In Long Beach
LONG BEACH (CBSLA) – A group of Long Beach community organizations have come together to hold a COVID-19 vaccination event with a twist: the vaccine recipients will receive a free marijuana joint.
The "Joints for Jabs" event will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on July 24 at Houghton Park, located at 6301 Myrtle Ave.
It is being put on by the Long Beach Forward, a local community organization, and the Long Beach Collective Association, a cannabis trade and advocacy group.
"We all want to have a safe summer and enjoy one another's company even as the pandemic continues on and recreation opens up," said James Suazo, Long Beach Forward executive director, in a statement. "Cannabis is part of our Long Beach culture and to safely share a joint without contributing to the spread of COVID-19, we must all do our part to get vaccinated. With the delta variant becoming the dominant COVID-19 strain in Los Angeles County, we want our unvaccinated neighbors to catch a free marijuana strain instead so we can protect each other."
The first 150 people over the age of 21 will receive a token redeemable for one free pre-rolled joint. Children ages 12 to 20 can also be vaccinated, but will not be eligible for a joint.
Los Angeles County reported 1,103 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, marking the fifth straight day with over 1,000 cases as a result of the highly contagious Delta variant.
The five-day average for cases has now increased 500% in the past month, from 201 cases on June 13 to 1,095 on Tuesday, the L.A. County Public Health Department reported.
The test positivity rate has increased 700% in the past month, from 0.5% to 3.4%.