Delivery network company Uber Eats is partnering with cannabis retailer Tokyo Smoke to provide a new way to order weed in Ontario, Canada. But home delivery is not yet possible. Jenny Southan reports
Since November 2021, Uber Eats has been offering a dedicated section on its digital marketplace for Tokyo Smoke virtual cannabis stores. Consumers can place orders from Tokyo Smoke’s flower collection and accessories on the Uber Eats app, and then pick up their purchase at the respective Tokyo Smoke outlets.
Although Tokyo Smoke is the first cannabis merchant to list itself using the Uber Eats software across Uber’s global business, home delivery is not possible (which to Globetrender seems counter-intuitive). After all, in LA it’s easy to get cannabis delivered to your home or hotel using apps such as Eaze.
Online ordering and pick-up using Uber Eats is an innovative new way for Canadian adults to conveniently and safely purchase legal cannabis. All orders will be fulfilled within an hour of the order being placed, so consumers are able to receive their items quickly.
“Tokyo Smoke is thrilled to partner with Uber Canada on this innovative offering for our customers, bringing them high quality products and the very best customer experience,” says Mark Hillard, vice-president of operations for Tokyo Smoke.
“As a market leader in innovation and a platform used by so many Canadians, we believe this is the ideal next offering that can be done safely and conveniently on the Uber Eats app.”
How it works:
- Ontario consumers head to the Uber Eats app and select the “cannabis” category or search for “Tokyo Smoke”. They will see a warning that they must be of legal age to enter the Tokyo Smoke virtual storefront
- Once confirming their age, the consumer is taken to the menu of a Tokyo Smoke store in the area to place an order
- Orders will be fulfilled within an hour from when the order is placed
- When consumers head to Tokyo Smoke to pick up their order, the order will be fulfilled by a Tokyo Smoke employee who is CannSell certified and who will ID consumers as required by regulations.
Lola Kassim, general manager of Uber Eats Canada, says: “We are partnering with industry leaders like Tokyo Smoke to offer safe, convenient options for people in Ontario to purchase legal cannabis. By combining a streamlined ordering process through the Uber Eats app with Tokyo Smoke’s in-person pick-up service, we’re creating a new end-to-end experience for responsible cannabis ordering across the province.”
This partnership will help combat the underground illegal market, which still accounts for over 40 per cent of all nonmedical cannabis sales nationally.
Further, recent research from Public First shows that driving after cannabis consumption remains prevalent, with one in seven (14 per cent) of cannabis users admitting to having driven a vehicle within two hours of consuming cannabis.
When Canadian cannabis laws evolve to include delivery, options like Uber Eats are expected to help decrease impaired driving and improve safety on the road.