Uber Eats has opened a new category allowing cannabis payments for in-store pick up at participating dispensaries. As a result, Uber delivering cannabis may be a reality in the future. Canadian shop, Tokyo Smoke, is starting the pilot program with their 50 locations. The gargantuan food delivery service will not be delivering cannabis, however, only facilitating the purchase.
Considering the recent announcement of a digital wallet for cannabis purchases, this is just one more option businesses are coming up with. Until the USA changes its tune with cannabis on the federal level, electronic funds and transactions are mostly prohibited. Uber and Valley Pay are offering workarounds that won’t result in felony charges, even if it’s only available in another country for now.
Uber has been voicing interest in the cannabis industry for some time; but, current laws prevent it in the US. Starting in Canada gives Uber an edge for whenever the laws do change at home. In Canada, however, this is simply adding efficiency to the purchasing process.
This further isolates the US as other countries make changes to their cannabis legislation. Canada is leaps and bounds ahead of our industry in many ways. Additionally, Mexico and parts of South America are looking to legalize either medically or recreationally. Even Germany is aiming to change things. Meanwhile, our legislators are still arguing over the basics.
Reuters broke the news last week, mentioning comments from an Uber spokesperson.
“We will continue to watch regulations and opportunities closely market by market. And as local and federal laws evolve, we will explore opportunities with merchants who operate in other regions,” the Uber spokesperson told Reuters.
Ontario, Canada will lead the charge in this new cannabis delivery venture. Uber has no intention of pushing into the US just yet; but, the partnership with Tokyo Smoke could alleviate a lot of cannabis problems everywhere.
