In a first of its kind, Uber Eats has partnered with Leafly in order to make marijuana deliveries to residents of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. This food delivery company is owned by U.S.-based technology behemoth Uber Technologies Inc.
The partnership signed between Leafly, an online cannabis marketplace, and Uber Eats will see a select number of marijuana retailers, including Minerva Cannabis, Shivaa’s Rose and Hidden Leaf Cannabis, receive online orders for delivery to addresses stipulated by cannabis buyers. Uber Eats will then facilitate the deliveries.
Consumers who are at least 19 years old will download the Uber Eats app and use it to order cannabis products. The participating retailers can then send their employees (certified after completing a marijuana-education program run by the provincial government) to drop off any purchases ordered by a shopper. Prior to making the delivery, the cannabis-shop employee responsible for the drop off will check the sobriety as well as the age of the recipient before handing over the products.
Speaking during the launch, Uber Eats general manager in charge of Canada Lola Kassim said that the company saw this service as a way to reduce the rates of impaired driving and also an avenue through which the marijuana black market can be combated. Currently, at least 40% of all marijuana sales within Ontario are on the black market. Kassim added that by facilitating cannabis deliveries, Uber Eats was increasing the options for people who would like to consume marijuana products. With the added option, users may move away from illicit sellers because licensed retailers are able to deliver the needed products rather than requiring shoppers to get the products in-store or pick them by the curbside.
It should be noted that Uber is just providing the vehicles to be used during the cannabis delivery process. According to Ontario law, only employees of licensed companies can make cannabis deliveries, and Uber drivers aren’t licensed or authorized to courier marijuana.
This isn’t the first time that the American tech company is getting up close and personal with cannabis. Tokyo Smoke entered a partnership with Uber Eats to allow customers to use the Uber Eats app to order for products from Tokyo Smoke-run cannabis stores. However, the products were to be picked up rather than delivered to the client. This new deal with Leafly now takes Uber Eats a notch higher in its involvement because it will enable cannabis deliveries within the city.
It is such progressive developments that could fuel the cannabis industry’s growth in Canada, while operators such as Prime Harvest Inc. in U.S. state-level markets have to navigate complex contradictions between state and federal marijuana laws in a bid to remain competitive.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Prime Harvest Inc. are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/PRIME
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