The competition will soon be blazing hot in Alberta’s biggest weed delivery markets.
It’s a green light, it’s legit, and there’s no turning back now. Same day weed delivery and mail-order marijuana services in Alberta are going private. The AGLC, Alberta’s only source for online delivery, is closing up their weed shop on March 08, 2022. This will leave private retailers with the opportunity to shine bright in their respective delivery markets in a haze of sour diesel!
We can only hope that the weed is delivered on bikes and electric cars.
Many of the recreational dispensary storefronts near you in Alberta are delivering their recreational cannabis and 420 products themselves from now on. The legacy delivery dealers in Calgary and Edmonton have some serious competition and it’s heating up like a blazing inferno that will never burn out.
Here are the details that you need to know with what we think about all of this.
In an effort to clear up some of the grey areas when it comes to what it means to you – the consumer, the below bullet points provide the legal details that are most important.
Then continue reading and get some insight on Budhub’s perspective on all of this.
Here are the details:
- Here are the new official regulations about cannabis delivery in Alberta.
- Age gate security will be tighter with new technologies currently being developed to prove that the minimum age requirements are met for online ordering.
- The AGLC inspectors will regularly inspect the dispensary’s websites to ensure compliance is always met.
- The same day delivery drivers will be employed by your local dispensary or they will be independently contracted. Third-party couriers like Pineapple Express (owned by Fire & Flower) are not permitted under these rules, but that could change.
- Mail-order shipping from the dispensary will be by Canada Post or other comparable services like Purolator.
- Retailers can only process orders that are initially placed through their e-commerce website. You can’t order via third-party apps like Weedmaps.
- Private retailers are allowed to implement a delivery charge if they decide to do so.
- Curbside pickup is also permitted.
- You can only get delivery within Alberta.
- Not all of the dispensaries will roll out delivery services. However, Canna Cabana, who already provides delivery services in other provinces including 58 stores in Alberta, is excited to roll out delivery in the province right away.
- Dispensaries who want to sell online must already have a brick-and-mortar storefront. There are currently 744 private cannabis stores licensed in Alberta.
What we think.
“Your local pot dealer back then still delivers today”
Canada has a sticky icky past when it comes to same day weed delivery services. Weed delivery in Canada has always been a thing, especially since medical marijuana was legalized in Canada for mail-order services back in 2001.
Your local pot dealer back then still delivers today!
Look at the legacy weed delivery services in Calgary and Edmonton for example. These operators pre March 08, 2022, owned the same day delivery market in the most populous cities in Alberta. They are your local weed dealers on wheels. Nothing has changed really up to this point except for the technologies that help them provide a faster more streamlined delivery service, and, maybe the weed is better nowadays as well!
But what has changed, and where is it going?
Once the private licensed cannabis stores in Alberta iron out the bugs and roll out weed delivery successfully, the legacy operators will have a battle on their hands for market share. One that they will probably lose over time. The competition will get fierce fast, and in the end, it’s always a numbers game.
We understand that licensed cannabis is heavily regulated and lab-tested for a reason. To ensure that the cannabis products are safe to smoke, vape or consume. This is a good thing, you know for peace of mind. But, moving forward, and as we all get older, licensed cannabis will become the norm. Our kids will grow up and become legal age and cannabis to them will just be like what alcohol was to us back in the day – available everywhere and always legal to purchase. No big deal.
What will change along with the increased access to cannabis is how we perceive legal weed. Moving forward, it will become as widely accepted as any other generic brand that’s accessible on every street corner, any time of the day, or by delivery to your door in under an hour.
Legal cannabis could elvolve into what Molson Canadian beer is today – generic.
The legacy Ma & Pa services will be forced to rethink their strategies. Perhaps a shift into the craft cannabis markets? You know, that premium, small-batch, west coast bud that everyone seeks out? They could become exclusive merchants for the absolute best weed in Alberta.
To conclude.
Budhub.ca stands behind legal recreational cannabis delivery and in time it will be available in every province. In addition to the weed prices being comparable to the black market weed prices, dispensaries in Alberta finally gained another competitive advantage that they need to facilitate success in their marketplace.
Additionally, with the increased age-gate security measures currently being rolled out, access to cannabis by our youth who try to order online will be greatly reduced. Now, all we have to do is figure out a way to keep cannabis edibles away from children.
As for the legacy operators, they will be forced to rethink their business model and find new ways to compete in a soon-to-be saturated market.
