UberEats Adds Weed Delivery to App in Toronto:
Today, Toronto residents age 19 years or older can officially purchase weed on demand from Uber Eats. The food delivery service has partnered with Leafly, an online marijuana retailer, to connect customers with local dispensaries.
According to Leafly, this is the first time marijuana delivery is available on a third-party food ordering platform like Uber Eats. Customers can begin purchasing cannabis products in the Uber Eats app today, with delivery from licensed retailers fulfilled by staff from CanSell, an Ontario-based cannabis retail education program. Leafly and Uber Eats say that this partnership will hopefully help tackle the underground marijuana market as well as encourage people not to drive while high.
"Leafly has been empowering the cannabis marketplace in Canada for more than four years and we support more than 200 cannabis retailers in the GTA.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 18 2022, @03:38AM (2 children)
first time I was in LA, about 40 years ago, I stayed with a slightly older cousin. We never got along all that great, he was always on an emotional hair trigger, but I needed a place to crash for a few days and he agreed. Just before dinner the first day he said something about a mood adjustment after work. I didn't question him (leave sleeping dogs alone, eh), and he went to another room.
About 15 minutes later there was a putt-putt noise outside his ground floor apartment and the door bell rang. It was a dope delivery by moped. He'd called in his order from the other room.
At that point I realized that, in LA in the 80s, they were inventing a new definition for civilization.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Tuesday October 18 2022, @05:02AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Wednesday October 19 2022, @06:30PM
Nothing new, either. I still get most of my weed delivered. Of course, it isn't legal for my supplier to sell it, but it's a lot cheaper on top of not having to find a parking spot downtown by the cannabis dispensary.
Impeach Donald Palpatine and his sidekick Elon Vader
(Score: 1, Flamebait) by looorg on Tuesday October 18 2022, @10:53AM (9 children)
Probably not. The people that use the "underground" market are those that do not want to be registered. They don't want Uber to store the fact that they like to smoke. A fact that can later be subpoena at the most inconvenient time. Even if legal now in this location doesn't make it legal everywhere and it can still be frowned upon in other circumstances to. People that have Uber deliver their drugs to them have more money then sense.
It will probably also been an uptick in muggings of Uber eats drivers. Nobody, or few, mugged someone for some noodles and a pizza. But if they think you got drugs. That is another story.
That said I do predict big success, people are stupid and lazy. So I wonder how long until they just ditch the food deliveries and become full time drug dealers on wheels? OK perhaps they'll deliver snacks, food and such for your weed. But that will be the side- or complimentary business to the core weed delivery business. There will be data down the line, which tips the driver the best, when do they order, what is the profit per mile and delivery etc. Weed will probably win out in the end. That is what their drivers will want to deliver cause it is what will pay the best.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Tuesday October 18 2022, @12:14PM
I wonder when it'll be possible to buy the services of Toronto residents age 19 years or older on Uber Eats? And for non-oral options will it be still be Uber Eats or specialised into Uber Anal, Uber Cowgirl, etc?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Thexalon on Tuesday October 18 2022, @12:31PM (1 child)
"This location" is the entire country of Canada, thanks to a law passed by Trudeau's government years ago. Are you suggesting that the US is going to start harassing Canadian citizens for activity that's perfectly legal there and also legal according to both many US state governments and federal practice, just like they've never done with the Dutch and Portuguese?
It may be a fear, but it doesn't seem like a very rational one.
"Think of how stupid the average person is. Then realize half of 'em are stupider than that." - George Carlin
(Score: 1, Troll) by looorg on Tuesday October 18 2022, @12:57PM
Not at all. But Toronto is quite close to the US border and cities such as Detroit and Buffalo. It's not that I believe that the US will put any, or more then previous, pressure on Canada in that regard. After all there are states and locations in the US where it's legal to. The bordering states in question here seem to be ok with it, the federal level doesn't as far as I know. But the issue at hand is more that people in the area, or later in Canada as a whole, get used to it and think of it as normal and then bring it with them elsewhere and then run into issues as they cross some boundary.
How far out from Toronto does the service stretch? How far into the neighboring cities and towns and suburbs? How far are those from the border?
I have never been in the area but considering how close things are map wise I would assume it's a fairly lively traffic across the border between the countries in these locations. In this case tho as far as I know the laws are at least somewhat similar in Michigan and New York. There might be age and amount differences or where or how it is sold differences. Then local, state and federal differences. But there is always a risk here when a thing is legal on one side of the border line and perhaps not so much on the other side. That said probably not much of an issue here.
Also nothing says this will be legal forever. Would you like to be a registered weed smoker for when there is a turn around in policy? After all it's unlikely that you'll just stop using if you have gotten used to it previously. Fear often isn't very rational. But if you want to take another issue where they are freaking out currently just look at Abortions. Things can change and the hysteria is real in that regard.
(Score: 2) by TheGratefulNet on Tuesday October 18 2022, @12:34PM (1 child)
this admin (biden) is not going after people for this.
who knows what might happen if the R's gain control.
they like to ruin everything they touch. so far, the tax rev has been enough to stop them from ruining things in cali but R's are bored people with no real goals in their lives but to make others' lives difficult. its how they, uhh, roll.
I would never want audit trails, if I can help it, on something like this. ATMs, all that - just avoid anything that keeps track of this. legal or not, not everyone believes you have this right. just look at the roe v wade 'update'. 50 year law that they threw under the bus because - well - they have nothing better to do with their time than to fuck with other people and their lifestyles.
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 2) by Sjolfr on Tuesday October 18 2022, @12:53PM
Toronto Canada.
But yeah, that type of thing wouldn't fly in the US as far as I know. The Uber Eats cars would get mugged - weed and food all in one heist.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday October 18 2022, @12:52PM (3 children)
Adding services like this might even help the black market. In which case, good.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by looorg on Tuesday October 18 2022, @01:09PM (2 children)
It might. It could also be that Toronto is just a big test-market for rolling this out national and later into other areas. If things turn out fine, profit wise, in Toronto I would assume at least the other large Canadian cities such as Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver etc are next.
Not quite sure how it would help the black market, except for them being able to add a legal service to their already existing black market service. So a front in that regard, perhaps enough of a front that they might eventually transition and not have to do the black stuff anymore. That said probably very risky. You really have to put distance between the two entities. But they clearly have the knowledge of sales and growing and an existing customer base that they might be able to put to legal usage.
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Tuesday October 18 2022, @02:48PM
Agreed, I don't see how it helps the black market. The whole point of these services is that sellers don't have to provide their own delivery people to deliver food (and now weed). And without using your own mules you can't discretely offer an "extended menu". That's more likely to be a feature of your local ice cream truck.
I really don't see anyone operating a highly profitable above-board dispensary wanting to jeopardize their business by slipping a "special order" in under your weed. Any more than stores selling alcohol and tobacco do so now. And that's before you even consider how many black market weed sellers refuse to deal in anything more dangerous.
It seems to me this is likely to be exactly what it says on the tin - letting legal weed stores offer the same door to door delivery that's long been a feature of the black market. And given the much smaller market for most other drugs, that's likely to greatly reduce the profitability of black market services. As I understand it, weed has long been the staple of most illegal drug distribution networks - not super profitable, but a large enough volume to support the infrastructure (smugglers, street dealers, etc.) that also distributes more profitable drugs.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Wednesday October 19 2022, @06:33PM
Unlike a drunk, you don't want to drive when you're stoned. It's just too much trouble.
Impeach Donald Palpatine and his sidekick Elon Vader
(Score: 3, Interesting) by hendrikboom on Wednesday October 19 2022, @04:02PM
The only surprise here is that UberEats has *not* been providing this perfectly lawful service up to now.