You Can Now Order Marijuana From Uber Eats, But They Won’t Deliver

Uber Canada has announced a partnership with cannabis retailer Tokyo Smoke to enable residents of Ontario to order marijuana via Uber Eats. While Uber originally started off as a ride hailing service, Uber Eats is a brand expansion that delivers restaurant meals to homes. The company also operates a package delivery service called Uber Connect. Although medical marijuana has long been legal in many jurisdictions within the US and around the world, recreational marijuana has only recently started becoming legal in the US. In Canada, medical cannabis became legal in 2001, while recreational cannabis use was legalized in 2017.

Canada enacted the federal Cannabis Act the following year, making it only the second country after Uruguay to formally legalize the cultivation, possession, and consumption of cannabis, which means recreational use of the substance is no longer a crime in the country. Tokyo Smoke is one of the biggest and most notable names in the sector in North America, and the tie-up with Uber will now let people order directly through Uber Eats.

The tie-up between Uber and Tokyo Smoke will enable cannabis connoisseurs in Ontario, Canada to order weed via the Uber Eats app and then pick it up from their nearest Tokyo Smoke store. According to Reuters, the Uber Eats app will now have a listing for Tokyo Smoke like any other regular restaurant or eatery. Uber Eats already delivers liquor in the US and even acquired the Boston-based alcohol delivery service Drizly earlier this year. However, Drizly’s cannabis delivery service Lantern was not part of that $1.1 billion deal.

The Tie-Up Does Not Involve Delivery

It is worth noting the deal between Uber and Tokyo Smoke does not involve cannabis delivery by Uber Eats drivers, although the company might be planning to introduce that service in the future. Speaking to CNBC earlier this year, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said that the company could get into cannabis delivery in the future, but it will only happen “when the road is clear” and “federal laws come into play.” For now, cannabis remains illegal under federal law in the United States.

Even though marijuana remains illegal across most of the U.S., an increasing number of states are legalizing it for recreational use. As many as sixteen States and the District of Columbia have already legalized recreational cannabis use, and more are expected to do so going forward. There are even attempts now to bring in sweeping legislation to decriminalize recreational marijuana in the country, with a number of Democratic Senators proposing changes that would usher in more liberal marijuana policies at a federal level. If those sweeping changes do happen, then it probably wouldn’t be surprising to see Uber and others looking to get in on the action even more.

Source: Reuters, CNBC