Quebec: SQDC wants to deliver cannabis the same day

The Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) aims to deliver cannabis within 24 hours of an order being placed. Currently, deliveries are handled by Canada Post, with the same turnaround times as standard deliveries. The SQDC hopes this will allow it to be as competitive as the black market, which offers fast deliveries to its customers.

We have been tasked with migrating the »consumers from the black market to the legal market", explained Fabrice Giguère, spokesperson for the SQDC. This is an additional measure to help fulfill that mandate because proximity and immediacy are two »things that are sought after"

The SQDC is therefore issuing a call for proposals to determine, as a first step, whether it is possible to offer a delivery service faster than it is now. The pilot project is expected to last between six and nine months and aims to deliver about 400 packages per week on the Island of Montreal. If successful, the service could be extended to the islands from the North and the South.

«We have strict protocols for package delivery,» Giguère explained. We don't yet know if we'll be able to develop the project because we don't know if we'll have suppliers with the kind of technology needed to comply with our strict protocols.

According to the SQDC, upon delivery, recipients will be asked to show identification to verify that they are not minors. Quebec has, in fact, recently raised the legal age for possession of or use cannabis at age 21.

«We don’t yet know the exact details. Obviously, we want to keep costs as low as possible for the customer,» said Giguère. «It’s a process, and that’s why we want to give ourselves time to demonstrate that it’s possible and to ensure that everything goes as planned.».

The SQDC's current services promise delivery within one to three days, at 5$ per order within the province. The maximum amount of cannabis that can be purchased at any one time is 30g.