Canada Post to ship weed for $5 from Ontario’s online cannabis store

(Screenshot of Ontario's cannabis website.)

Next week, people in Ontario will be able to buy weed online and delivery will cost $5 a pop.

The Ontario Cannabis Store revealed new details this week about how it will operate, come legalization day. Beginning on Oct. 17, individuals can go online and order cannabis to their front door, via Canada Post, which will be responsible for age verification upon drop-off.

It will be the only legal place to buy pot in the province, and will offer an array of products, from dried cannabis and capsules, to oils and pre-rolled joints.

In order to assist customers in making informed purchasing and consumption decisions, filters will allow customers to sort cannabis products by brand, strain, quantity of THC, quantity of CBD, terpene profile (scent and flavor), plant type and price.

To align with the federal public possession limit of 30 grams, the “shopping bag feature” on OCS.ca has been developed with a built-in calculator to help customers identify how many grams of dried cannabis they have selected. Oils and capsules will also be automatically converted by the calculator into their dried equivalency.

While customers can add multiple products to their shopping cart exceeding 30 grams, OCS.ca will require them to modify their order at the time of checkout to be 30 grams or less.

For now, the OCS.ca focuses on “education by embedding learning content in the shopping path and providing customers with clear and factual information that they can use to make informed purchasing and consumption decisions.”

The website includes tips for responsible consumption, as well as information on cannabis effects, THC and CBD levels, and the endocannabinoid system.

The Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation is the only legal retailer of recreational cannabis in Ontario, and “is focused on providing safe and responsible access to cannabis through its online store.”

Once a legislative framework is in place, the OCS intends to establish a wholesale distribution network to supply cannabis to legal private stores in Ontario.

See also: Ontario wants to ‘tightly regulate’ its private retail cannabis market

In late September, the Ontario government announced it wants to “tightly regulate” its private retail cannabis market and give municipalities an “opt-out” option to prohibit stores from setting up shop there.
 
Attorney General Caroline Mulroney and Finance Minister Vic Fedeli revealed the government’s plans to introduce legislation that, if passed, would “protect public health and public safety through a tightly-regulated private cannabis retail store model.”
 
“As the federal government’s legalization of cannabis approaches, our government is determined to impose a strict licensing regime that will protect young people and effectively combat the criminal market,” said Mulroney in a release.
 
The ministers announced the proposed legislation would establish the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) as the provincial regulator authorized to grant store licences.
 
The AGCO would have the authority to “enforce compliance, including, if necessary, revoking licences from stores that fail to comply with the conditions set by the province.”
 
The proposed legislation would give municipalities the flexibility to “opt-out” of having cannabis retail stores in their communities, before January 22, 2019, and allows the province to establish distance buffers separating these stores from schools.
 
“The legislation approved by cabinet will, if passed, provide certainty to the marketplace along with peace of mind to parents and families that — when it comes to public health, public safety and protecting youth — our government will never compromise on our commitment to the people,” said Fedeli.
 The proposed legislation, if approved, would also ban smoking cannabis in places where smoking tobacco and using e-cigarettes would be prohibited, including exemptions in enclosed workplaces such as long-term care homes, hospices and designated guest rooms in hotels, motels and inns.The maximum fines on conviction would be $1,000 for a first offence, and $5,000 for subsequent offences.

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