In the last four years, Toronto has seen a frenzy of change: marijuana was still illegal in 2018. However, you may now purchase it through Uber Eats.
According to CBC News, this is the first time Uber Eats has signed up for this type of delivery in collaboration with online marijuana marketplace Leafly.
The initiative goes live this week, allowing Toronto residents aged 19 and up to place cannabis orders through the Uber Eats app. CannSell, Ontario’s cannabis retail education program, has trained drivers for this service, and they must confirm the customer’s age and sobriety upon delivery.
You’d think that such big order would come with treats, but that’s not the case. Since cannabis retailers must hire and train their own staff to perform deliveries using Uber’s platform, every delivery must be separate. That suggests you’d have to arrange for two deliveries if you wanted to have your cake and eat it too.
Another restriction is that cannabis can only be delivered through authorised retail establishments during regular business hours.
According to Uber Eats, this delivery rollout will combat illegal marijuana markets, which present problems for licensed sellers, and reduce impaired driving by having the goods delivered directly to the door.
According to the Ontario Cannabis Store, a Statistics Canada survey shows that from January to March this year, more than 40% of cannabis transactions in Ontario occurred through illegal channels. However, as respondents might not have felt comfortable confessing to making illegal transactions, the statistics may be skewed, and the actual number may be greater.
Customers in Tokyo could pick up cannabis orders through Uber Eats at Tokyo Smoke outlets beginning in November 2021. Still, today is the first time anyone in the globe has been permitted to receive the delivery at home through the company.
During the early days of the pandemic, Ontario temporarily permitted such deliveries when cannabis retailers were forced to close due to Covid limitations. Still, the deliveries became a permanent fixture earlier this year.
