Uber Eats delivers cannabis in Toronto – Cannabis | weed | marijuana

Leafy and Uber Eats have partnered to deliver cannabis in Toronto. They announced the partnership to mark the fourth anniversary of cannabis legalization in Canada.

Uber Eats is the first third-party delivery platform to deliver cannabis, but the devil is in the details.

How it works

As with purchasing alcohol through Uber Eats, the consumer must be 19 and identify themselves to the delivery driver. The delivery driver must also verify the sobriety of the customer.

Unfortunately, the move is not widespread. Only three Toronto retailers will participate in the program: Hidden Leaf Cannabis, Minerva Cannabis and Shivaa’s Rose.

Deliveries will also be made by the cannabis retailer’s employees, in accordance with Ontario law. So independent drivers from Uber Eats will not make these deliveries.

Overall, this announcement is more headline-grabbing than any real substance. Ontario’s cannabis retailers can already deliver cannabis to people’s homes.

The only difference is the convenience of using the Uber Eats app to order.

Uber eats to deliver cannabis: why?

Lola Kassim, general manager of Uber Eats Canada, said in a statement:

“We are working with industry leaders like Leafly to help retailers provide safe and convenient options for people in Toronto to purchase legal cannabis for home delivery, which will help fight the illicit market and disruptive driving to reduce.”

“In recent years we have invested heavily in our delivery business and the selection has expanded enormously. Uber Eats has quickly evolved into a versatile platform that can be used by various businesses, large and small.”

Leafy CEO Yoko Miyashita said: “Leafly has been empowering the cannabis market in Canada for more than four years and we support more than 200 cannabis traders in the GTA. We are thrilled to be working with Uber Eats to help licensed retailers bring safe, legal cannabis to people across the city.”

Marissa and Dale Taylor, owners of Hidden Leaf, said, “Hidden Leaf has provided safe, legal cannabis to Toronto residents at three locations over the past year and a half. We’re a small company and this partnership is a great opportunity for us to expand our reach and grow our business across the city.”

The move is two-fold: help crowd out the underground market, which accounts for more than half of Ontario’s cannabis sales. And to combat people who drive stoned, which 1 in 7 cannabis users admit.

Is restricted driving really a problem?

Cannabis delivery is nothing new in Toronto. As mentioned, many cannabis retailers already offer this service. Adding cannabis to the Uber Eats app doesn’t mean you can also order from a restaurant and have the driver stop at a cannabis store on the way home.

The retailer’s staff must still make the delivery. And only by those with CannSell certification from the Ontario government.

However, a third of Canadians are okay with driving high on cannabis. Many cannabis users swear that with some THC in their system, they are better drivers. They are calmer, more aware of their surroundings and less likely to take risks.

Compare that to alcohol, which severely impairs your motor skills no matter how intoxicated your mind is feeling.

And the police recognize this. They had to use oral liquid screening technology to catch drivers with high cannabis use.

But if driving with cannabis is dangerous, wouldn’t it be noticeable? Wouldn’t they swerve and run red lights and do all the reckless things we expect a drunk driver to do?

Or is comparing alcohol and cannabis like comparing apples and pears?

Uber eats to deliver cannabis: Great, but not necessary

It’s excellent that Uber Eat is delivering cannabis to Toronto residents. There’s no reason to be against it. It’s a good deal for all parties.

But the notion that this is necessary to get cannabis-influenced drivers off the road is nonsensical.

Our bodies do not treat cannabis as a poison. Cannabis works positively with our endocannabinoid system. Phytocannabinoids like THC and CBD mimic our endogenous cannabinoids.

Are you going home after spin class? After yoga? When you feel the runner’s high?

That’s your endogenous cannabinoid, anandamide, coursing through your system. THC is very similar to it. If you can ride elevated anandamide levels, you can ride low THC doses.

Especially if you are a connoisseur familiar with THC.

Uber Eats and Leafy undoubtedly offer a service. But as with all things cannabis, the devil is in the details.