Pirate's Cove

This is getting kind of crazy, the way so many states are attempting to bribe people to get the COVID vaccine. What about hooking up those of us who got the vaccine before the bribes started? Of course, really, the bribes are, at best, wooing a few who are on the fence. Most had already planned to get the shot

Washington State allows for free marijuana joints with Covid-19 vaccine.

As part of its strategy to vaccinate more of its population, Washington State will allow adults to claim a free marijuana joint when they receive a Covid-19 vaccination shot.

The state’s liquor and cannabis board announced on Monday that the promotion, called “Joints for Jabs,” was effective immediately and would run through July 12.

The board said it would allow participating marijuana retailers to provide customers who are 21 or older with a prerolled joint at their stores when they received their first or second dose at an active vaccine clinic. The promotion applies only to joints, not to other products like edibles.

So far in Washington, 58 percent of people have received at least one dose, and 49 percent are fully vaccinated, according to a New York Times database.

Washington is not the only state to offer a cannabis promotion. An Arizona dispensary recently announced a similar campaign, providing free marijuana joints or gummy edibles to Arizonans 21 and older who receive a vaccination.

Washington’s liquor and cannabis board recently allowed for a free beer, wine or cocktail to residents with proof of vaccination.

Who’s paying for this? Are the stores compensated for giving out free drugs? You know, ones that are actually illegal by federal law? BTW, how do marijuana stores file federal tax returns when their business is illegal by federal law? Anyhow, the Government is attempting to get people drugged up after taking vaccine. Is it only me that finds this weird and inappropriate? Completely without a sense of propriety? Meanwhile

Can Jill Biden help move the needle on vaccination rates?

I’m thinking the answer is no, but, the Washington Post is squeeing, and would never treat Melania Trump with this respect

Vaccination rates fall off, imperiling Biden’s July Fourth goal

The ‘last mile’ of delivering coronavirus shots has become a marathon, with health officials showing up at stores, parks and factories to entice people who might not otherwise get immunized.

So, they’re in nag mode now. But, wait, what’s this

New York’s Vaccine Passport Could Cost Taxpayers $17 Million

New York officials introduced the Excelsior Pass app earlier this year as the country’s first government-issued vaccine passport, designed to help jump-start the state’s economy.

But newly obtained documents show that the state may have larger plans for the app and that the cost to taxpayers may be much higher than originally stated.

The state’s three-year contract with I.B.M. — obtained by an advocacy group and shared with The New York Times — to develop and run the pass establishes the groundwork for a future where at least 10 million people in the state would have an Excelsior Pass. It would provide them with a QR code that would not only verify their vaccination status but could also include other personal details like proof of age, driver’s license and other health records. (snip)

But Eric Piscini, the vice president of emerging business networks at I.B.M., said in a recent interview that the state was considering broader uses. He said discussions were underway to expand the pass into a broader digital wallet that could store driver’s license information, other health information and more. He also said that other states and foreign governments were exploring ways to integrate the Excelsior Pass into their own verification systems, as New York seeks to include records from other states in its system.

NY wants to expand it to basically all New York residents, it is going to cost a lot more than they stated, and it is going to contain a lot more private information. And no one is sure about the security of the app. Is it any wonder that Texas Governor Greg Abbott banned them?