Uber says you would soon be able to place an order for cannabis on the Uber Eats app in Canada. However the ride hailing giant says it would not deliver the cannabis to you.
In its arrangement with cannabis retailer Tokyo Smoke, customers will go to a dedicated section on the Uber Eats app, place your order and it will be delivered to any of dispensary chain’s 50 locations to be picked up by the customers. However Uber Eats customers will have to verify their age on the app before they can pick up the cannabis.
Under Canadian law, although marijuana use has been legal since 2018, it is still illegal to deliver it.
The marijuana market in Canada is worth around CAD$5bn (£3bn; $4bn) a year and Uber has reportedly been looking at ways to enter the market for some time. In April, the company’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi stated: “When the road is clear for cannabis, when federal laws come into play, we’re absolutely going to take a look at it.”
Lola Kassim, general manager of Uber Eats Canada, said in a statement that the partnership with Tokyo Smoke is about offering “safe, convenient options for people in Ontario to purchase legal cannabis.”
When asked if Uber will be expanding its online ordering program throughout and eventually to the U.S., a spokesperson told Forbes that there’s “nothing more to share at this time.”
“As we learn from this partnership in Ontario, we’ll continue to watch regulations and opportunities closely market-by-market,” the spokesperson says. “And as local and federal laws evolve, we will explore opportunities with merchants who operate in other regions.”
