On April 15, 2020, five days before the international marijuana holiday known as 420, some 1,500 people visited Medicine Man’s four dispensaries in and around Denver, Colorado, a 40% increase over the average Wednesday. The procession of customers was slow and steady—thanks to social distancing rules, only 10 people were allowed in at a time. Yellow stripes on the floor spaced six feet apart helped people stay a safe space from one another as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to grip the nation. Most customers maxed out their state-mandated purchasing limits, which is one ounce of cannabis flower.

Sally Vander Veer, cofounder and CEO of the Colorado-based Medicine Man, says that day, which was when many Americans received their federal stimulus checks, was just as big as last year’s 420.