Texas CBD shop offers extra social distancing with drone delivery

Published March 31, 2020

A CBD store in Texas has started a drone delivery service to adhere to social distancing measures to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

John Elmore, the owner of Green Cross CBD in Austin, told broadcaster KTBC that he was sterilizing products and offering curbside pickup before he started drone deliveries.

“I was able to come up with a contraption where I could drop it in your front yard and unlatch and just take off,” Elmore said.

Austin issued new social distancing rules for residents and business on March 21 to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. The rules encouraged retail establishments to “increase the use and capability of drive-thru, curbside, or delivery services.”

“The drone can hold up to 2 pounds safely,” Elmore said. “I don’t like to exceed that, but, yeah, that’s quite a bit of CBD.”

Green Cross CBD’s experiment with drone deliveries is one example of how unmanned aircraft are being used during the current pandemic.

  • Police in the UK have been criticized for using drones to police and scold residents for taking walks in the countryside.
  • Italian police received approval from the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) to use drones to monitor the public’s adherence to social distancing measures until April 3.
  • In Australia, police will use drones with flashing lights and sirens to patrol beaches, parks and other areas and deliver warnings to people disrespecting social distancing rules.