As nonessential businesses shutter in nearly every state plus the District of Columbia to slow the spread of the coronavirus, many liquor stores and cannabis dispensaries are making use of key exemptions to remain open and carry on with their operations.

According to the National Governors Association, 42 states have thus far enacted measures to close businesses deemed nonessential, a determination that has veered from technocratic to political in some cases, such as with the wrangling over firearms dealers.