Uber is finally entering the cannabis space in Canada adding marijuana orders through Uber Eats

By Nina Zdinjak

Uber joins the cannabis industry in Canada!

Uber’s delivery and takeaway division has partnered with cannabis retailer Tokyo Smoke to deliver orders of cannabis products through Uber Eats in Ontario, Canada, a company spokesperson confirmed to Reuters.

Photo by Kai Pilger via Unsplash

Under the new agreement, adult consumers can order cannabis through the Uber Eats app and pick it up at their nearest Tokyo Smoke store starting today (Monday) at 9 a.m. ET.

The ride-sharing company, which already supplies alcohol through its Uber Eats division, has been considering jumping into the booming marijuana space for some time. In April, the company’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced that Uber was ready to begin shipping cannabis to the U.S. once the plant is legal at the federal level.

“When the way for cannabis is clear, when federal laws come into play, we will definitely have a look at that,” Khosrowshahi said at the time.

It has been over three years since Canada legally introduced adult cannabis sales to deal with the illegal and unsafe marijuana market. Even so, the country still has problems with illegal producers who somehow still manage to get a significant share of total annual sales.

Uber has said that its new cannabis delivery service, Tokyo Smoke, will encourage more Canadian adults to turn to safe, legal weed, which will ultimately help the country, the illicit market that now accounts for more than 40% of all non-medicinal products to sell marijuana sales across Canada, Reuters reported.

What’s next?

Will Uber reach other provinces with this new cannabis delivery service? So far there has not been any clear confirmation from the company.

RELATED: Uber plans to explore marijuana delivery once it’s federally legal

“We will continue to monitor the regulations and opportunities closely, market by market. And as local and state laws evolve, we’ll explore opportunities with dealers who operate in other regions, ”the Uber spokesman told Reuters.

Uber showed an interest in the cannabis space last year

This isn’t the first time Uber has explored the benefits and opportunities in the cannabis space. Last year, Uber hired cannabis advertiser Fyllo to target cannabis users in marketing its grocery delivery services, Bloomberg reported.

RELATED: Are Amazon, Uber, Etc Are The Future Of Cannabis After The Pandemic?

“A cannabis user is younger than the normal user, has more disposable income; They’re busier than most, they work all the time, they exercise all the time, they have adventures all the time, ”Travis Freeman, Uber’s global media director, told the outlet at the time.

According to reports, Uber has shown that cannabis users are more likely to end up watching video ads than average users.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and was republished with permission.