Uber to make it possible to order cannabis in Ontario

Edit: an initial version of the headline stated that Uber would «deliver» cannabis in Ontario. Reuters, which announced the news, has since corrected its headline to indicate that Uber would only allow the ordering of cannabis, with the onus on the consumer to travel to the nearest Tokyo Smoke. The article has been corrected accordingly.

Uber will allow cannabis consumers in Ontario, Canada, to order cannabis on its Uber Eats app, marking the ride-sharing giant's foray into this burgeoning sector, a company spokesperson said Monday.

Uber Eats to list cannabis retailer Tokyo Smoke on its marketplace Monday, after which customers will be able to place orders from the Uber Eats app and pick them up at their nearest Tokyo Smoke store.

Uber, which already delivers alcoholic beverages through its Eats unit, has had its eye on the burgeoning cannabis market for some time now. Its CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, said in April that the company would consider to deliver cannabis when the legal route is open in the United States.

After more than three years of legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada, The country is gradually opening up its cannabis market to take even more share from the black market, which still controls over 40 % of all non-medical cannabis sales nationwide.

Asked about the possibility of expansion into other Canadian provinces, or the U.S., an Uber spokesperson said there was «nothing more to share at this time».

«We will continue to closely monitor regulations and opportunities on a market-by-market basis. And as local and federal laws evolve, we'll explore opportunities with merchants operating in other regions,» said the Uber spokesperson to Reuters.