Since April 18, Uber Eats, in partnership with the Leafly marketplace, has allowed adults over the age of 19 to order cannabis and have it delivered directly to certain cities in British Columbia.
Thirteen retail stores in Vancouver and Victoria were working with Uber Eats to launch the program, six months after working with Leafly to bring cannabis delivery to Ontario. This was the first time cannabis delivery was available on a major third-party delivery platform.
“More British Columbians than ever have access to legal cannabis. We partner with industry leaders like Leafly to help retailers provide safe and convenient options for British Columbians to purchase legal cannabis that will be delivered directly to their doorstep. »
» Over the past few years, we have invested heavily in our delivery offer and the selection has grown considerably. Uber Eats has quickly grown into a versatile platform that can be used by a variety of businesses, large and small. »
“Leafly has been involved in the cannabis market in Canada for over four years and we support over 850 cannabis retailers in British Columbia. We are excited to work with Uber Eats to help licensed retailers bring safe and legal cannabis to people across the province,” said Yoko Miyashita, CEO of Leafly.
“At ARCannabis, our goal has always been to provide the best cannabis experience for our customers,” said Aaron Sinnathamby, CEO of ARCannabis, which is one of thirteen retailers currently participating. “This partnership will help us grow and reach even more people in Vancouver. Similar to the in-store experience, our province-certified couriers understand and adhere to local regulations regarding cannabis transactions, including ID verification. »
A success… for Uber Eats
If the two companies are obviously delighted with the partnership set up, some criticize the usefulness of such a device, in particular in the face of the delivery options already available via specialized platforms.
Brad Poulos, Lecturer at Metropolitan University of Toronto and Ambassador for Cannabis Education, noted for example that the Ontario Cannabis Store, the only authorized online distributor in the province, already offers home delivery. The addition of Uber Eats would then only benefit the delivery platform and the provincial wholesaler, to the detriment of producers and retail stores who would be forced to trim their margin to add an intermediary.
