The economy is hurting during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the legal marijuana sector is doing just fine. After a bumpy start to the beginning of pandemic stay-at-home orders, Colorado marijuana sales exploded in May, setting a single monthly sales record of $192.2 million. That record didn’t last long, though: According to the state Department of Revenue, June’s monthly marijuana sales totaled just under $199 million.

Readers were hardly surprised at the rise in dispensary action, but they had their own theories — some more detailed than others — as to why the stores are getting more traffic, and if the weed rush has led to a summer shortage of Colorado marijuana.

Says Colin:

They done bought all the weed…. all the stores are super low.

Responds Tom:

Duh.

Explains Jill:

People need to stay sane somehow… there are crazy people…out there.

Notes Paul:

The naysayers are finally coming around to the fact that it’s not a bad thing, and that it could help people get off prescription meds.

 Adds Ryan:

As I drive by and see lines of 15+ people standing 2 feet apart… I know it’s true.

Concludes James:

All natural medicines and vitamins are selling like they’ve never sold before. Every extract there is. It’s not just weed. People don’t just smoke weed as a cure for boredom, it has other cures. For a weed ad magazine, you sure don’t know much about it. People want to be healthy, and big pharma wasn’t helping us before and they sure as hell aren’t now as they tell us to stay inside while we wait for a vaccine.

Whatever the reason, people have definitely been buying more weed at Colorado dispensaries this summer, and some regular dispensary shoppers are getting anxious over shortages.

Have you noticed short inventories at dispensaries when you’ve gone cannabis shopping? Post a comment or email your thoughts to editorial@westword.com.