Uber Eats Partners with Tokyo Smoke

Toronto-based cannabis retailer Tokyo Smoke is one of the first partners Uber Canada is promoting as part of its new Uber Eats cannabis delivery service in Canada. Uber Eats in Canada now has a dedicated section in its digital marketplace where consumers can shop and order from Tokyo Smoke’s virtual stores.

Uber began allowing users in Ontario, Canada to place cannabis orders this week. Unlike other products available on Uber Eats in Canada, cannabis will not be delivered by Uber Eats drivers to customers, due to age verification requirements.

Tokyo Smoke products will be listed on the Uber Eats menu under “cannabis,” where they can be ordered through the app and then picked up in store by customers at Tokyo Smoke stores.

Customers will need to confirm their age in the store to complete a purchase.

Uber has made it no secret that it has its sights set on cannabis deliveries. In April, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told CNBC that the company will explore a cannabis delivery service in the United States if federal legislation makes it possible.

“When the road is clear for cannabis, when federal laws come into play, we’re absolutely going to take a look at it,” Khosrowshahi said.

Asked about the timeline of a possible expansion in United States, an Uber spokesperson told Reuters that there was “nothing more to share at this time.”

“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 spokesperson said.

Working with Tokyo Smoke and other cannabis retailers will help Canadian adults buy safe, legal cannabis and help combat the underground market, which still accounts for more than 40 percent of all non-medical cannabis sales nationally, Uber Canada told Reuters.

“We are partnering with industry leaders like Tokyo Smoke to offer safe, convenient options for people in Ontario to purchase legal cannabis. When Canadian cannabis laws evolve to include delivery, options like Uber Eats are expected to help decrease impaired driving and improve safety on the road,” Uber Eats Canada general manager Lola Kassim said in a statement.