Owners of Sidney’s Truth and Alibi Cannabis store wanted to be the first legal outlet in B.C. to make a cannabis-product home delivery under newly relaxed provincial rules.
So they carefully planned a delivery of a $45 CBD (cannabidiol) cream to a customer who uses it for his arthritis. The cream arrived promptly at 9 a.m. on Thursday. To mark the occasion, a worker used a 1938 BMW motorcycle with a sidecar to make the delivery.
“We wanted to do it with a bang,” said part-owner Cindy Pendergast with a laugh. “We wanted it to be the very first legal cannabis delivery in British Columbia history.”
The prohibition-themed store on Beacon Avenue is owned by Pendergast, son Zach Pendergast and husband Brad Styles. It has 11 employees and is licensed by the province and municipality.
Customers can order a delivery by phone or online from the store, which is aiming for one or two deliveries per day. Pendergast expects staff will often be able to walk to customers, although the store could also step up to using an electric car or bicycle.
The goal is to have one-hour deliveries within Sidney. The service will be available on the Saanich Peninsula for $30 minimum orders. Practices may be refined as the service unfolds.
Pendergast said some customers may not be physically able to make it to a store, while others may not want to leave their homes during a pandemic, or prefer the convenience of direct delivery.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth announced last month that B.C.’s legal cannabis operators would be allowed to deliver directly to buyers as of July 15.
The province is aiming to shrink the illegal cannabis market. Retail operators had said having a delivery option would help make them more competitive.
Delivery was also offered as of Thursday through Clarity Cannabis’s Greater Victoria stores, said one of its managers, Eric Sarno, who was at the 603 Gorge Rd. East location. Orders can be placed online only.
“We are excited about it. It gives customers a different avenue to receive cannabis products and accessories,” he said.
A delivery charge of $4.20 is being waived for the first month, he said. “It is just going to take some time for word to get out.”
Trees Cannabis intends to offer delivery in Victoria and Nanaimo by mid-August, said spokesman Alex Robb.
