Since it was founded in San Francisco in 2009, Uber has grown to become one of the most well-known companies in the world. Alongside its taxi service, Uber’s subsidiary Uber Eats now offers convenient food, grocery – and now cannabis – delivery to its customers.
This week, Uber announced that customers in Ontario, Canada will now be able to place orders for cannabis orders through the company’s Uber Eats app. Canada became the second country to legalise the recreational use, supply, and possession of recreational cannabis in 2018.
A spokesperson for the company said that the move will allow Uber to enter the growing legal cannabis industry – something it has had its sights on for a while. In April this year, Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told CNBC that the company was considering the delivery of cannabis when the issue of legality is clearer in the US.
Despite over three years of federal cannabis legalisation, Canada is still having teething problems with the new industry. According to reports, illegal cannabis producers and dealers are still on top in the country as higher prices push customers away from legal stores. Supporters of the move hope that it will help Canadian adults purchase safe and legal products more conveniently.
A spokesperson for Uber said of the announcement: “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.”
However, when asked about the possible expansion of the initiative into other Canadian provinces and the US, the spokesperson revealed that there is “nothing more to share at this time”.
Cannabis is becoming increasingly accessible in the US, however, its recreational and medical use and production remain illegal at the federal level. Meanwhile, Canada’s federal cannabis legalisation law allows each province to control certain aspects of the legal market.
