Uber Eats customers in Toronto will soon be able to order marijuana for delivery to their homes, marking the first time cannabis will be available through a major third-party delivery platform.
Toronto residents who are 19 years old or older will be able to order marijuana through the app, following the same procedures as if they were ordering food from a restaurant. Deliveries will then be made by cannabis retailer staff members rather than independent drivers who work for the delivery app.
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“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.”
The delivery system will be made available through a partnership with Leafly, an online cannabis marketplace. The partnership seeks to combat the underground illegal cannabis market, which makes up more than 50% of nonmedical marijuana sales in Ontario, according to the company.
Roughly 14% of cannabis users report driving a vehicle within two hours of consuming cannabis products, prompting Uber Eats to propose a delivery option to cut down on impaired driving.
“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. 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.
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Cannabis deliveries through the app are set to begin on Monday. When making an order, a delivery driver must verify the customer’s age and sobriety to comply with Canadian law. Recreational use of marijuana was legalized in Canada in 2018.
The new service builds upon previous partnerships Uber entered into with cannabis retailers in Ontario, but under those deals, customers had to pick up the orders themselves, with no delivery option.
