Ontario makes home delivery of cannabis permanent

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (CAJO) has announced that the provincial government has given the green light for cannabis retailers to offer cannabis delivery services at home and pick-up in store.

In a newsletter published this week, the AGCO reports that the province has established rules to make permanent this long-awaited change, implemented temporarily during the Covid pandemic. These new rules will come into effect on March 15.

Strict rules

Although Ontario is one of Canada's largest provinces that most facilitates the growth of the cannabis sector, Not all businesses will be able to deliver cannabis. Only the retail store licensee or its employees may make deliveries, which must be made to a residence or private premises, including places such as hotel rooms. Third-party deliveries are not permitted.

«Please note that the new delivery rules will still not allow cannabis retail stores to operate wholly or primarily as delivery businesses,» AGCO says. «The new rules will allow cannabis retailers to continue to safely offer consumers greater choice, convenience and access to legal recreational cannabis,» the announcement states.

For delivery, orders must be placed with a specific store. must come from the same store and be performed with products stored on site, and cannabis may only be delivered during the hours when the store is open to the public.

When operating websites, apps or similar online platforms, licensees must take reasonable steps to ensure that customers accessing them are at least 19 years of age and must display the official Ontario cannabis retail seal.

Under the current rules governing click-and-collect, These must be «carried out in an area adjacent to the store which is captured by the store's surveillance system».

For First Nations communities, delivery «will be permitted, unless the community has requested that delivery be restricted», adds AGCO.