Source: Hidden Leaf Cannabis
Uber Eats puts weed delivery on the menu
Adults in Toronto can now buy cannabis online and have it delivered to their homes by Uber Eats. It marks the first time that a major third-party delivery provider has been engaged in making marijuana home deliveries.
The delivery service earlier this week began making deliveries for Leafly, the online cannabis content source and marketplace, which features products from locally licensed marijuana retailers.
Adults 19 and older can place orders with retailers on the Leafly marketplace using the Uber Eats app and have it delivered to their doors by drivers certified through the CannSell marijuana retail education program in Ontario.
Uber Eats app users select the “Cannabis” category to search for local retailers. They then navigate the menu to select products from a retailer within the delivery radius for the location. Customers placing orders are notified when their orders are accepted and given an estimate for the time of delivery. When drivers arrive at a customer’s home, they verify their age and sobriety as required by local regulations.
“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,” Lola Kassim, general manager of Uber Eats Canada, said in a statement. “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.”
“Leafly has been empowering the cannabis marketplace in Canada for more than four years and we support more than 200 cannabis retailers in the GTA (greater Toronto area). We are thrilled to work with Uber Eats to help licensed retailers bring safe, legal cannabis to people across the city,” said Yoko Miyashita, CEO of Leafly.
Three retailers on the Leafly platform — Hidden Leaf, Minerva Cannabis and Shivaa’s Rose — are currently participating in the delivery program using Uber Eats.
“We are a small business and this partnership is a great way for us to expand our reach and grow our business across the city,” said Marissa and Dale Taylor, owners of Hidden Leaf. “Just like the in-store experience, our CannSell certified delivery staff understand and comply with local regulations around cannabis transactions.”
- Uber Eats and Leafly partner to bring cannabis delivery to Torontonians – Uber Eats
- Ontario’s Leader in Cannabis Retail Training – CannSell Ontario
- Uber Eats ships big city meals nationwide – RetailWire
- Is the food delivery bubble ready to burst? – RetailWire
- Walgreens inks a deal with Uber Eats to expand same-day deliveries – RetailWire
- Uber Eats delivers dinner with a side of blush – RetailWire
Discussion Questions
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Do you anticipate a large demand for home delivery in the marijuana retail market? Will Uber Eats and other major third-party services aggressively expand into marijuana retail deliveries in the U.S. where the law allows?
Poll
Loading …BrainTrust
Dave Bruno
Director, Retail Market Insights, Aptos
Richard Hernandez
Merchant Director
I have high hopes for this service. After all, why wouldn’t people want to take advantage of home cannabis delivery with Uber Eats? It’s fast, convenient, and on the rare chance that they desire snacks along with their weed, Uber Eats can deliver those as well. Seems like the market for this service is baked in.
This should light up a category for Uber Eats.
I’d rather have marijuana delivered by Uber Eats than food. At least I will know it is fresh.
I see this being a prime source for purchasing marijuana. Once you find your personal favorite, order away. This is especially ideal for those that don’t care to be seen in the pot shop.
I would not wish this on anyone. Unfortunately these deliveries will be targeted and endanger the delivery drivers.
I’m interested to see how this pans out. I do think that it has enormous potential. There’s a huge demand for people for this. You can get your bud and your giant bag of nacho cheese Doritos in the same delivery. Since the product is paid for, you eliminate delivery people having to carry sums of cash which, as we’ve seen in California, has been a problem for dispensaries and small growers.
This is huge. I expect Amazon to enter the space eventually. In the meantime, driver safety could become a big thing if, let’s say, a dad sees his son getting a delivery to his house. But this is bound to become commonplace in a far shorter time frame than the metaverse.
There will definitely be demand for this service in line with legalization by city/county/state. Uber Eats and others will add it quickly, simple as that. Just another “product” offering, the only question being will people be willing to pay the delivery charge in an inflationary environment.
This won’t be as big a market as food delivery but it’s an interesting addition. If people want to buy marijuana for home consumption and have it delivered, then why not? I see no issue with it. The U.S. market could be interesting but federal laws are still a barrier to category growth and development, even if many local states and jurisdictions have legalized cannabis (which is their right as it really isn’t an issue that should be under federal constitutional competency).
There is no doubt this will be a winner. Hate to say it, but protecting the safety of delivery personnel will be a challenge. Also, is Uber Eats going to implement a plan to make sure delivery personnel are not partaking on the job?
This is definitely going to be a novelty at first, specifically for those that already have their “supply chain” figured out, but as stigma decreases it may expand. Pharmacy deliveries are becoming a more critical factor for pharmacies to compete and be client centric; this is another tangent of that and an area of opportunity for Uber.
I think it’s an epically bad idea that will make the drivers sitting — driving? — ducks for robbery. There was an interesting story the other day about the travails of this industry … which in my mind makes this idea seem not much like a logical extension as a desperate move.
Weed or no weed, the question remains: is there a serious long term market for delivery or will it fade into the sunset as the pandemic fades into memory? I expect the latter. And weed won’t be able to keep it from happening.
Are the cigarette people now trying to figure out how to get their products listed on Uber Eats? Is there a comms strategy for nicotine vs cannabis?
There is an old saying … “just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.”