CA Vaccine Rollout: Cannabis Workers Now Eligible For Shots

LOS ANGELES, CA — Last week, Shannon Goodsell — a 53-year-old cannabis delivery driver with underlying health conditions — was uncertain when she was going to get a coronavirus vaccine shot.

That is, until Thursday, when the state shifted cannabis workers into some of the highest vaccine prioritization tiers.

Those in the medicinal cannabis industry are now eligible to be vaccinated alongside health care workers in Phase 1a, according to guidelines updated by the California Department of Public Health Feb. 4.

And while the state says these workers should be moved to the front of the line, it remains to be seen whether county health departments will recognize this change.

Those working in food and agriculture for growing, production, storage, transport and distribution also became eligible for Phase 1b, a tier that includes people 65 and older and people working in emergency services, child care and education.

Medical cannabis workers will be vaccinated "as necessary in Phase 1b, Tier 1, by nature of their designations in eligible essential workforce classifications," the state said.

So Goodsell, a Los Angeles resident, was able to make an appointment to get her first dose Feb. 19 at a local Rite Aid.

She hasn't been to work since December and has been eagerly waiting for her turn to get vaccinated. She has a lung condition similar to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that her doctor told her may stem from a severe case of coronavirus she contracted early last year, she said. She's also had asthma since she was 2 years old.

The change in prioritization shot her up from Phase 1c to 1a. Before that, Goodsell was worried she would have to take a back seat to people 65 and older.

"It’s going to be 'The Hunger Games' [if] I have to go back to work," Goodsell told Patch last week. "There [are] no remote jobs at the moment. I look daily."

The decision to place cannabis workers ahead of teachers comes as school districts across the state are working on solutions to open schools for in-class instruction. Vaccinating teachers and others who work in schools is seen as a vital step. Last month, the nation’s largest teacher’s union, the National Education Association, called for prioritizing teachers.

"Every single student, educator and parent in America has spent the past 10 months in a state of anxiety over the COVID-19 pandemic and what it’s done to our school communities," NEA President Becky Pringle said. "There is no replacement for the in-person connection between our students and their educators."

Schools have been closed since last March, except for a few that received waivers from the state. Some students have adapted to distance learning, but elementary school-age children and students with special needs have had it especially hard.

Pringle pointed out the effect school closures have had on families and the economy. "Most parents either cannot work, are forced to work and leave children unattended, or are trying to juggle working from home with child care," she said. "Our students need to come back to school safely. Educators want to welcome them back, and no one should have to risk their health to make this a reality."

Goodsell told Patch Monday that she received an email from her employer on Friday notifying workers of the change and urging them to make an appointment. "I was like, 'Wait. What?'"

It was a surprise to suddenly become eligible, and Goodsell is crossing her fingers that when she arrives at the Rite Aid with a letter from her manager and her work badge, as instructed by her employer, she'll finally quell her fears of getting sick again.

It remains to be seen whether Goodsell will have any issues presenting herself as a cannabis worker to those scheduled to innoculate her in LA County. The county did not immediately respond to Patch on whether the state's updated guidelines will be recognized.

Goodsell retired from a 25-year career at a medical center in Los Angeles — which she also requested to keep anonymous — as a researcher in 2011. Her brother still works there, and she has kept tabs on what's happening with the coronavirus to an extent that maybe her coworkers have not, she said.

"People are not understanding, particularly my coworkers, that you're only covered with your immunity for three, maybe six months at the max," Goodsell said. "You can get it again."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that antibodies from COVID-19 may provide protection from reinfection, but it is unclear how long such protection lasts.

Goodsell tested positive for coronavirus antibodies last year, following a severe case of what she at first assumed was influenza. She was placed in an intensive care unit for three days. She still suffers from lingering breathing and lung complications, which her doctor told her may never go away, she said.

"I worked from May to the week after Thanksgiving when my doctors and I decided I was too high risk," Goodsell said. "I had knowledge that [my coworkers] were traveling out of state [and the] country for Thanksgiving, and they were pretty lax on mask-wearing. There was no social distancing, and I knew a percentage of my customer base was severely noncompliant."

The seemingly constant reshuffling of the coronavirus vaccine criteria has caused frustration among Californians jockeying for a shot. The decision to prioritize age, which Gov. Gavin Newsom announced in late January, sparked outrage from those under 65 with underlying health conditions.

"I just fear that whatever we do will not be enough until the supply is adequate," Newsom said of the vaccine rollout in general from a news conference at Petco Park on Monday.

Bea Karnes contributed to this report.