Uber Eats Cannabis Now Accepting Orders
Tokyo Smoke customers in Ontario can now place their order with the cannabis retailer through a special Uber Eats Cannabis section on their app.
“We are partnering with industry leaders like Tokyo Smoke to offer safe, convenient options for people in Ontario to purchase legal cannabis,” said Lola Kassim, General Manager of Uber Eats Canada. “By combining a streamlined ordering process through the Uber Eats app with Tokyo Smoke’s in-person pickup service, we’re creating a new end-to-end experience for responsible cannabis ordering across the province.”
For Canopy Growth-owned Tokyo Smoke, the Uber Eats Cannabis partnership offers a clear advantage. It gives customers another avenue to by from Tokyo Smoke using an app that many already have on their phone. Uber Eats Cannabis gives a fast, effective way to order products for in-store pickup.
However, it is difficult to say what the end game is for Uber Eats (other than the fact that hungry customers may use the app again later in the evening…). Cannabis delivery is still illegal in Ontario – and there is no sign that’s going to change anytime soon. Further, it’s curious that Uber Eats chose Ontario to launch its app instead of a province like Manitoba, where cannabis delivery is legal from third-party delivery companies. From Manitoba’s Retail Cannabis – General Terms and Conditions:
3.44 – The licensee must ensure that a third-party delivery service delivering cannabis on the licensee’s behalf complies with the third-party delivery standards provided to the licensee upon approval by the LGCA.
It’s unclear if this question was ever asked about why not open somewhere where cannabis delivery is legal. But according to multiple reports (but likely one source), Uber Eats declined to talk about future expansion to other provinces or to the United States.
Where Does Uber Eats Cannabis Go from Here?
Of course, Ontario is by far Canada’s most populous province with about 40 per cent of the population. That may have been part of the decision to roll out the Uber Eats Cannabis section of the app in Ontario. However, considering the delivery restrictions there, it’s still a curious choice. Presumably there isn’t much difference from a technology and process angle between ordering cannabis and ordering liquor, which Uber Eats already delivers. So this isn’t likely a test bed for an “Uber Eats Cannabis” app.
Uber Eats may also be opening itself up to legal ramifications. Many international companies including most notably banks have shied away from exposing themselves to anything illegal in the US. Could Uber Eats face problems in the US if they are involved in “illegal” activities in Canada?
Perhaps, for the moment, the whole thing is a publicity stunt on the part of both Tokyo Smoke and Uber Eats. Cannabis marketing regulations make it difficult for retailers and licensed producers to advertise their differences. Here’s one clear way Tokyo Smoke and Canopy Growth can make a splash in the market without violating marketing rules.
For its part, Uber Eats says it wants to “help combat the underground illegal (cannabis) market” and “help decrease impaired driving”. Noble causes if those really are where they’re focused.
Regardless of the companies’ respective intentions, this many have a positive effect on the industry as a whole. Critics have wondered out loud if Ontario is killing cannabis with regulations that seem outdated and monopolistic. Small moves like this in the private sector may nudge Ontario – and Canada – out from under these overly harsh regulations to a more open and accessible marketplace.
Read the original CTV News article here
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