One of the most bizarre developments in the wake of legal marijuana is the concept of the doobie delivery service. For some, specifically those living in legal territory, long gone are the days when it was necessary to beat the street in hopes of tracking down a neighborhood weed slinger. Now, simply putting in a call to one of these cannabis couriers can put pot products at the doorstep before the day is done. But some companies are taking the idea of weed delivery up a notch – stealing a chapter out of the pizza parlor ethos of the 1990’s by promising to transport legal tokes from dispensary to door in 20 minutes or less.
If they fail to complete the task, however, the customer still wins. One bike delivery service in Vancouver, BC guarantees customers free weed if their two-wheeled pot-peddlers cannot beat the clock.
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It is called Spruce Delivery, and it is promising customers pot deliveries in “20 minutes or less or you get a free joint,” said Frank Le, one of the owners of Spruce. He told the Vancouver Sun that the company is a “bike-powered delivery service that runs under 20 minutes which is faster than you can get your pizza.”
For obvious reasons, Spruce is conducting its cannabis deliveries in a very unassuming way.
Rather than put their bud-toting delivery riders on two-wheels branded with some clever marketing mumbo-jumbo that translates to, “Hey, I’m carrying weed, come rob me,” their couriers do not look any different than those flying around the streets of Vancouver, dropping off food to drunkards and shut-in’s.
The company says that any of their bicycles plastered with a logo and slogan is strictly for advertising purposes – the people on these rides are not carrying any money or weed. In fact, this particular fleet is all marked with a message that reads, “Sorry, no marijuana onboard.” So please don’t jack them.
While the Spruce concept is fun, there is some question over its legality. The Vancouver Police are calling the delivery model “drug trafficking,” as it goes against the plan outlined by the government. Although marijuana is scheduled to go fully legal in the northern nation over the summer, the concept of weed delivery is not part of the deal.
“As it stands now, this is trafficking in a controlled substance (cannabis) contrary to the (Controlled Drugs and Substances Act),” Sergeant Jason Robillard, media relations officer with the Vancouver Police Department, said in an emailed statement. “When the Cannabis Act is passed (as it currently reads), this behavior would be an offense under the Cannabis Act. But until the Cannabis Act comes into effect we won’t know for sure.”
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The owners of Spruce understand that they are breaking the law. And they don’t care.
“We’re going against what the government is proposing to do,” Le said.
“They’re having everything run at brick and mortar shops in designated locations by operators who have won a lottery — essentially. We don’t think it is fair or the best way to approach it. We think we’re going above and beyond with the value and service we’re providing.”
