Uber Eats extends services to Marijuana in Canada in partnership with Leafly

CANADA – Food delivery app Uber Eats has signed up for marijuana delivery, in partnership with online marijuana marketplace Leafly, in Canada.

Uber said Torontonians can order “safe, legal cannabis” straight to their homes, placing orders from local licensed cannabis retailers in the Uber Eats app.

Dispensaries in Canada already offer their delivery services under a move by Ontario in 2020 when the government closed cannabis shops. The policy became permanent earlier this year.

The deliveries from Uber Eats will be made by the retailer’s CannSell- certified staff, and independent third-party delivery people are not allowed to deliver cannabis.

The staff will check the age (should be above 19 years old) and sobriety of the person who placed the order, as required by regulations, according to Uber.

The companies said it’s the first-time cannabis delivery will be offered on a major third-party delivery platform.

In addition to keeping impaired drivers off the roads, Leafly and Uber Eat noted that the new delivery service will help combat the illegal underground market, which is said to make up more than 50% of nonmedical cannabis sales in Ontario.

The delivery disruptor cited research from Public First showing some cannabis users drive after consumption, with 1 in 7 (14%) of cannabis users admitting to having driven a vehicle within two hours of consuming cannabis.

“We are partnering with industry leaders like Leafly to help retailers offer safe, convenient options for people in Toronto to purchase legal cannabis for delivery to their homes, which will help combat the illegal market and help reduce impaired driving,” said Lola Kassim, general manager of Uber Eats Canada.

“Over the last few years, we have invested heavily in our delivery business and selection has expanded tremendously. Uber Eats has grown quickly to become a versatile platform usable by diverse businesses large and small.”

Contrary to the deliveries that started in November 2021, where Tokyo customers could pick up cannabis orders through Uber Eats at Tokyo Smoke stores, this is the first time anyone in the world has been able to receive the delivery at home through the company.

During the early days of the pandemic, Ontario temporarily allowed such deliveries when cannabis stores had to close due to Covid restrictions, but earlier this year the deliveries became a permanent fixture along with regulatory protocols.

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