Soon a drone cannabis delivery service in Seattle?

In order to reduce delivery costs, Drone Squad announced its intention to deliver hemp products by drone and Cannabis starting March 2020 in Seattle.

«We anticipate the entire industry will adopt this where appropriate,» said Justin Costello, CEO of GRN Holding Corporation, which signed a non-binding letter of intent to purchase from Squad Drone. He believes drones will significantly reduce the costs associated with delivering cannabis from distributor to customer.

«All flights will be monitored by a command center in Seattle and operated by a licensed pilot,» Costello continued. «We anticipate hiring about twenty employees in various cities to connect the drones to charging ports, calibrate them, and ensure the secure containers and computer systems meet flight requirements.»

Drone delivery: really?

This isn't the first time a company has announced it will deliver cannabis by air «soon.» In 2015, we mentioned Trees who was supposed to deliver cannabis by drone in San Francisco. California has since banned this delivery system for cannabis., just like that of self-driving cars.

What if drone delivery possibly reduces delivery time, is it truly ecological? Drone batteries must indeed be charged regularly.

A study published last year in the journal Transportation Research concluded that drones were preferable for delivering a few packages at a time, while ground-based vans were better suited for carrying large quantities in more densely populated areas.

Drone Squad tested six drones over the past year. The machines will be capable of handling 40 kilograms of product and are equipped to operate over a range of 10 kilometers, thanks to a «GPS navigation system and a digital signature interface.» They will also be able to accept payments, thanks to the installation of an iPad with the CannaTrac payment system, which operates without cash.

«Basically, the cost of running and operating a drone is 1/10th of a van. declared Tom Gavin, CEO of CannaTrac. «So it's not a desire to change an industry based solely on law or technology, but it will also change the industry, its safety, and by saving on costs.»

Amazon has been working on drone deliveries for several months without finding conclusive regulatory solutions so far. SquadDrone, on the other hand, announces deliveries within 40 days from today. Will it take time for some clever people to train birds to attack drones full of weed?