Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on the cannabis industry


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was no consensus. The arguments are basically, "There's enough good sources to meet WP:GNG" vs "Yeah, but every industry is impacted, what's so special about this one?". There's roughly equal numbers on the two sides. There's already been enough discussion that a relist seems unlikely to be useful. And, to User:GoodCrossing, all I can say is WP:BEANS. -- RoySmith (talk) 01:50, 9 April 2020 (UTC)

Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on the cannabis industry

 * – ( View AfD View log  Stats )

Hyperspecific topic of relatively insignificant encyclopedic value. Coverage cannot be sustained as its only a few months old and unlike the virus itself, we have no clue if the pot industry will be impacted. In other words, if fails WP:NOTNEWS and we cannot assess the question of WP:N as its too new to see if this has a lasting impact. TonyBallioni (talk) 02:21, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Comment - Crystal balling while stoned is still crystal balling. Robert McClenon (talk) 02:51, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * I hope you're not implying I'm stoned. Regardless, the article currently has 8 citations specific to the topic, and there are a dozen or so more posted on the talk page. --- Another Believer ( Talk ) 03:36, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * That doesn’t show it meets the WP:SUSTAINED requirement. That shows you have a verifiable fact that you may be able to include in an article. WP:NOPAGE is also part of WP:N and considering the impacts of a pandemic on one industry that in all honesty no one is thinking about right now probably doesn’t need its own article even if it is notable. TonyBallioni (talk) 03:41, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Tony I'm shocked to see you saying "one industry that in all honesty no one is thinking about" when there is literally a New York Times article on the topic cited in the article. Disparaging remarks like this don't get us any closer to an honest, reasoned consensus. ☆ Bri (talk) 04:32, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * I think it’s a fair assessment: most people are worried about their lives and livelihoods, not their marijuana. I could produce articles on the impact on liquor stores as well: most of them have been classified as essential services, but we wouldn’t dream of having an article on the impact on liquor stores or the alcohol industry. It’s a novelty topic that gets attention now because Wikipedia tends to be sympathetic to many of the ideals of those who politically support liberalization of cannabis use, but no one has demonstrated that it is likely to be discussed a year from now. We would not have an article on alcohol, toilet paper, or many other products which have received media attention because of this. WP:NOPAGE tells us to consider not having a standalone page when a mention elsewhere will do. This can easily be one line in an article about economic impacts. It’s a minor thing that’s part of a greater response. It doesn’t get a page under policy until we can tell if the discussion is going to be sustained and that a page will be sustainable long term. TonyBallioni (talk) 05:09, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Delete – we could do this for literally any product or industry, but we won't. What's next, "Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on the mulch industry"? – bradv  🍁  03:37, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Keep per GNG (disclaimer: article creator). There's plenty to add to the article based on the sources I've posted at Talk:Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on the cannabis industry alone. There are many others I'm seeing at Google and Google News as well. Local and state authorities and elected officials are commenting and implementing policies specific to the cannabis industry, and there's coverage in local markets across the U.S. as well as sufficient coverage in nationally recognized publications. --- Another Believer ( Talk ) 03:56, 1 April 2020 (UTC)


 * https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Cannabis-industry-is-booming-but-lack-of-federal-15162542.php
 * https://www.npr.org/2020/03/18/817779558/amid-coronavirus-san-francisco-new-york-deem-marijuana-businesses-essential
 * https://www.westword.com/marijuana/colorado-cannabis-business-events-not-immune-to-coronavirus-11663858
 * https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/marijuana/cannabis-companies-struggle-to-survive-the-coronavirus-11456921
 * https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-01/not-even-cannabis-can-escape-the-coronavirus-cannabis-weekly
 * https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannabis-companies-see-boosted-sales-la-as-coronavirus-fears-spread-1284403
 * https://denver.cbslocal.com/2020/03/22/colorado-marijuana-sales-coronavirus/
 * https://www.wsj.com/articles/california-deems-pot-an-essential-coronavirus-business-11585005903
 * https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/michigans-marijuana-industry-is-deemed-essential-during-coronavirus-outbreak/Content?oid=24173822
 * https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/illinois-extends-application-deadline-for-recreational-cannabis-business-licenses-2020-03
 * https://www.denverpost.com/2020/03/23/coronavirus-colorado-marijuana-dispensaries/
 * https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-coronavirus-marijuana-dispensaries-chicago-20200312-cwgsawfklvbzvnpkchbxz5t5ae-story.html
 * https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-coronavirus-illinois-marijuana-dispensaries-20200331-hfonjug44jawtjvgpzcoqk6ism-story.html
 * https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/31/marijuana/baker-says-reopening-recreational-marijuana-shops-amid-coronavirus-outbreak-is-non-starter/
 * https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/coronavirus-marijuana-sales-soaring
 * https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/covid-19-coronavirus-weed-delivery-sales-china-events-967236/
 * https://wwjnewsradio.radio.com/articles/news/michigan-marijuana-sales-booming-during-coronavirus-outbreak
 * https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2020/03/09/28113766/coronavirus-and-cannabis-how-pot-is-impacted-by-a-pandemic
 * https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-how-the-cannabis-industry-is-reacting-to-the-pandemic-2020-3
 * https://www.abc10.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/how-the-coronavirus-is-affecting-sacramentos-cannabis-industry/103-ad8fb693-9827-4ab4-9e1b-88cda26c0930
 * https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomangell/2020/03/31/coronavirus-upends-marijuana-psychedelics-and-drug-reform-ballot-measures/#3fe0795d3645
 * https://detroit.cbslocal.com/2020/03/31/michigan-marijuana-sales-booming-despite-coronavirus-outbreak/
 * https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/marijuana/arizona-marijuana-coronavirus-rules-doctors-naturopath-exams-deliveries-11462976
 * https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/03/17/coronavirus-fears-prompt-americans-buy-more-legal-marijuana/5067578002/
 * https://www.koin.com/news/health/coronavirus/where-we-live-cannabis-industry-adapts-under-outbreak/
 * https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanoleck/2020/03/13/for-cannabis-companies-coronavirus-threatens-to-smoke-cash-flows/#757227546a11
 * https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/coronavirus-cannabis-sales-decline/
 * https://www.businessinsider.com/cuomo-legal-marijuana-likely-wont-be-included-new-york-budget-2020-3
 * https://www.rgj.com/story/news/marijuana/2020/03/30/nevada-cannabis-deliveries-skyrocketing-new-normal-pot/5076568002/
 * https://www.westword.com/marijuana/colorado-cannabis-business-events-not-immune-to-coronavirus-11663858
 * https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-coronavirus-illinois-cannabis-funding-uncertainty-20200328-kjzjq3crkzac7hnrdntvcjcmjq-story.html
 * https://www.denverpost.com/2020/03/27/colorado-marijuana-delivery-coronavirus/
 * https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/mar/29/marijuana-deemed-essential-in-washington-state-get/
 * https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/coronavirus-cannabis-sales-decline/
 * https://abcnews.go.com/Health/cannabis-shops-thrive-essential-businesses-coronavirus-pandemic/story?id=69662619
 * https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-30/california-cannabis-dispensaries-essential-businesses-coronavirus-crisis
 * https://abcnews.go.com/Health/cannabis-shops-thrive-essential-businesses-coronavirus-pandemic/story?id=69662619
 * https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-30/california-cannabis-dispensaries-essential-businesses-coronavirus-crisis


 * Keep, well sourced especially on the talk page source-collection. The difference between this topic and, say, mulch, is that state and city governments seem to be listing medicinal cannabis outlets as essential businesses and not ordering them closed in the imposed lockdowns. So the topic ranks with the impact of this event on food production, the retail pharmacy industry, and other defined essential businesses. Randy Kryn (talk) 04:30, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * None of which should have their own article. Have one article on it all rather than one on everything (WP:NOPAGE). This is the same argument I’d make for any “industry” COVID page. TonyBallioni (talk) 05:11, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * It's not a reasonable requirement to lump together everything "industry" related under Category:Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic. The food industry article alone is over 10k of readable prose now. I’m sure that together they exceed the 50k WP:SIZERULE, and are obviously growing. ☆ Bri (talk) 05:16, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Most of those articles are probably not writing in summary style and are conveying more information than we want in a Wikipedia article. Trimming and combining into something more comprehensive is much more useful to the reader. I’d also argue most of those don’t pass WP:N as they fail WP:SUSTAINED and WP:NOTNEWS. So, yes, we should delete or merge most of them. TonyBallioni (talk) 05:23, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Please read WP:NOTTEMPORARY, which shows that notability has already been achieved. The page, and topic, are notable. And as I say below, the topic of cannabis prohibition is directly involved in this, as the "essential status" given to industry outlets in an historical shutdown puts emphasis on the ongoing end of prohibition. I'd also point out that many more sources have been added since the start of this discussion. Randy Kryn (talk) 23:43, 3 April 2020 (UTC)


 * Keep for one reason only. We follow significant coverage in reliable sources when determining what to write about. This is abundantly evident, as opposed to, say the "mulch industry". ☆ Bri (talk) 04:33, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * I’d actually suggest merging to Socio-economic_impact_of_the_2019%E2%80%9320_coronavirus_pandemic, which I didn’t see when we made this AfD. I think it’d fit rather nicely there, along with discussion of alcohol and other “essential@ services that people have questioned or discussed in the media. I think it’d be better to delete than have as a stand-alone, so don’t want to close the AfD if there’s no consensus to merge, but I think we could have it as a nice section of a bigger article on the impacts of the virus. TonyBallioni (talk) 05:20, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * The page seems to fit fine among the topics in the 'Impact' section of template 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic and, as editors are pointing out, the article is extremely well-sourced. Eventually a few more essential service articles will emerge and become well-edited, and these will probably pass the well-sourced barrier as well. All the well-sourced pages will likely become much further clarified and edited as the months and years go by, doesn't seem a reason to begin limiting them at this point. Randy Kryn (talk) 02:54, 2 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Redirect to Socio-economic impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic per Tony above. Of course news reports can focus on hyper-specific examples, I am not convinced that makes them independantly notable or worth mentioning in an encyclopedia. News are memes, Toilet paper panic bying in the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic passes WP:GNG but is WP:NOTNEWS. All the items in 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic related shortages could be split into their own article per WP:GNG. The effects on the cannabis industry are not independantly notable, like with so many other industries some companies laid people off and sales were up. This material does not need more than two sentences in a related page. Also, all of the related articles are also just collections of hyperspecific news reports and will require some extreme trimming. In Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on the food industry, we learn that New Zealand closed butcher shops on March 25, 2020 and that Swedish restaurateurs have a feeling of utter despair but also high levels of camaraderie. All of this passes WP:GNG, none of this is worth mentioning in an encyclopedia. – Thjarkur (talk) 09:53, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Delete, merge or redirect this can be merged into the main article. We don't need a separated article for this.-- SharʿabSalam▼ (talk) 10:59, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Weak keep The COVID-19 has had strong impact in every industry and it is not surprising for the fact that cannabis industry has also been affected due to the pandemic. Few sources mentioned in the article have implied the importance on the impact of COVID-19 on this industry. Abishe (talk) 12:42, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Delete – not an encyclopedia worthy entry. Why this product? What about the impact on the xyz industry? Redirect, merge or delete. Lightburst (talk) 14:05, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Delete There shouldn't be a separate article for every thing the virus has impacted. Since at this point it's pretty much everything. There's no reason this topic can't just be mentioned in the article about the virus or a general "impact of Covid-19" article. --Adamant1 (talk) 15:11, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Delete I don't see this being more notable than the TP shortages, and that doesn't have an article. Also, I'd say it's even a bit WP:CRYSTAL GoodCrossing (talk) 19:09, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Weak keep But only if properly sourced. We can't include effects on everything. --Chelston-temp-1 (talk) 21:16, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Keep Passes WP:GNG which is Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion and the standard for making deletion decisions.  Blue Rasberry   (talk)  22:47, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
 * GNG is not Wikipedia’s standard for inclusion: WP:N whole is, and it fails that miserably as it lacks evidence of sustained coverage or of passing WP:NOTNEWS. Failure of WP:NOT while passing the GNG also being grounds for deletion. TonyBallioni (talk) 04:03, 2 April 2020 (UTC)
 * The fact that medical and retail cannabis stores are being deemed "essential" by numerous states is notable as an affirmation of governmental acceptance of the product. So this is not just recent news, but an important and page-worthy topic in the overall history of America's cannabis prohibition. That, combined with adequate sourcing and the fact that many other products and industries have their own pages within Wikipedia's corona-19 collection, seems to pass the Keep-delete-merge bar. Randy Kryn (talk) 04:36, 2 April 2020 (UTC)
 * So is alcohol. As evidenced by my journey to Total Wine tonight. There are journalism articles on the alcohol as essential concept. We don’t and shouldn’t have Impacts of COVID-19 on alcohol consumption despite the coverage right now or it’s essentialness. TonyBallioni (talk) 05:50, 2 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Merge and redirect. If the section in the merge target expands enough to justify a split, then split again. Not sure of exactly which article it should best be merged into, but one about the cannabis industry seems moderately obvious. &middot; &middot; &middot; Peter Southwood (talk): 07:37, 2 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Keep because it passes GNG. Why the cannabis industry and not the mulch industry or something else? Because it passes GNG. SUSTAINED can't be proven or disproven because it's too soon, and as SUSTAINED itself says, for a current event, lack of SUSTAINED is no reason to delete. This is a valid spin-off of the main socioeconomic impact article. Levivich&thinsp;[dubious – discuss] 14:50, 2 April 2020 (UTC)
 * To add: I disagree with "merge", because the notion that we can cover all of the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in one article is patently insane. One thing I am 100% sure of: the socio-economic impact of this pandemic will be written about in multiple full-length books, and become a standard part of sociology and economics curricula at universities around the world. This is as big of a topic as "the socio-economic impact of World War II". It's already a topic that RSes around the world are writing about every single day. I wouldn't be surprised if we had an article about COVID-19 socio-economic impact for every single major industry (and, of course, cannabis is a major, hundred-billion-dollar-per-year industry). Levivich&thinsp;[dubious – discuss] 17:02, 2 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Week keep or delete. Basically news snippets. Not sure if this topic is very WP:N at all. WP:GNG, yes. WP:QUALITY, no. Also, we decide on a case-by-case basis, not just on what guidelines say.   14:50, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Keep per GNG. The impact on this industry, as on others, has received a lot of coverage in major journalistic sources.--Pharos (talk) 18:30, 5 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Delete/merge We get it, everything is being impacted by the pandemic. We do not need separate articles listing the news headlines of each specific area of interest. Passing GNG does not mandate a separate article, we can cover this topic elsewhere without every little factoid. Reywas92Talk 08:40, 6 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Business-related deletion discussions. TJMSmith (talk) 15:19, 7 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Medicine-related deletion discussions. TJMSmith (talk) 15:19, 7 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Health and fitness-related deletion discussions. TJMSmith (talk) 15:19, 7 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of COVID-19-related deletion discussions. TJMSmith (talk) 15:19, 7 April 2020 (UTC)


 * Keep: Passes WP:GNG. There is significant coverage in many reliable sources in multiple languages and across multiple countries. I think it is worth a standalone article, but otherwise could be merged to Shortages related to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic or Socio-economic impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic. --MarioGom (talk) 15:32, 7 April 2020 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.