Cannabis Companies Manufacture Hand Sanitizer To Aid Communities
CannaCraft, a large-scale cannabis manufacturer, and Hollister Biosciences Inc., a vertically integrated cannabis company, have converted portions of their manufacturing space and production capacity to formulate and package individual bottles of hand sanitizer. The California-based companies will distribute the bottles to their local communities.
A statewide “shelter at home” mandate has been issued for California, putting a halt to non-essential manufacturing and delay in distribution. Cannabis retailers and manufacturers have been deemed essential businesses in California.
CannaCraft trialed the program first, creating hundreds of tubes that were distributed to employees and customers. After the successful test run and registering with the FDA, the company procured enough materials to make 40 gallons (or 5,000 1oz. tubes) of hand sanitizer. The hand sanitizer will be donated to non-profits, customers, employees, and essential businesses and will be distributed later this week by Kind House Distribution, the company’s wholly-owned distribution arm.
“We are doing everything we can to protect our employees and our communities by adhering to guidelines and directives from officials and experts. At the same time, we are uniquely positioned to help in other ways because we have manufacturing equipment, scientific expertise, and a statewide distribution network built into our business,” said Jim Hourigan, CannaCraft CEO. “When we started hearing reports of a shortage in hand sanitizer, we knew that we could be of assistance without negatively impacting our employees or our operations.”
Hollister Biosciences will be giving its first batch of hand sanitizer to the Hollister food bank. Multiple batches of hand sanitizer are expected to be delivered to community organizations over the next few weeks.
“The community of Hollister, California, is near and dear to our hearts, and as the first licensed cannabis company in the city of Hollister, California, I feel that we must do whatever we can to help,” said Carl Saling, CEO of Hollister Biosciences. “We are going to focus on donating to the facilities that are often overlooked: the food bank, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, and homeless shelters, where some of the most vulnerable are sheltering in place.”