The controversy around weed legalization seems never-ending. If you live in North America, you know the war on drugs doesn’t seem like it will be reaching a compromise anytime soon. However, thankfully for Canadians, the war on cannabis features a light at the end of the tunnel. Cannabis has been recently legalized in Canada (or, one might even dare to say, Cannada. Ha).
The Legal Weed
Rules around the purchase and consumption of legal weed vary around the country, but I live in Ontario, and here’s what you need to know about our weed laws, according to CBC:
- You must be at least 19 years old.
- You must buy it from government online sales, or with private retailers.
- You must only smoke in private residences (although there is a possibility for legislation which would allow weed consumption wherever tobacco is legal).
- The maximum possession limit is 30 grams in public and no limit at home.
Shop Online
I used to have 3-4 dispensaries I would normally go to, but ever since the legalization, I haven’t been to a single dispensary because I just get my marijuana delivered to me. It’s way more convenient!
Here’s what I’ve learned while online shopping through dispensaries:
- When Googling “weed delivery Toronto” I’ve found that 99% of the websites trending gave me nothing but headaches.
- There are maybe 2 or 3 websites I actually enjoyed navigating through, but I’ve only done business with 2.
- 1 of the websites is actually from what used to be one of my favourite dispensaries, so I knew there would be zero problems there.
- The other website, which remains my favourite, was found after an extensive search for a company that would do same-day delivery to my area, while also keeping reasonable prices.
And here are the websites I’ve enjoyed and would highly recommend:
- Weedmaps: great for figuring out where to get what you’re looking for, wherever you are. The website features their recommended brands, dispensary storefronts, mail order/delivery services, deals nearby and even doctors nearby!
- Cannavitae Mobile: I really liked Cannavitae for multiple reasons, the major ones being that they offered same-day delivery, and the membership approval request was quickly reviewed and approved. Their last call for same-day delivery is a fairly late one, which has saved me plenty of times when it came to last-minute parties or whatever. They’re open Monday-Saturday, with the last call being at 9pm from Mon-Thurs, and 11:30pm on Fri & Sat! Isn’t that great?
- CAFE: CAFE was my favourite dispensary before legalization, and it remains one of my favourites now! I love the fact that the last call is also fairly late (9pm), but you can also SCHEDULE delivery times, choose your payment method, etc.
The Approval Process
Every weed related website will ask you to confirm your age, but everyone knows that never stopped 13 year-olds from scrolling through 18+ websites. So, in order to avoid selling weed to minors, I had to go through a membership approval process for both Cannavitae and CAFE. The process was a little different with each.
Cannavitae asked me to fill out a form, upload a picture of my driver’s license – and I think (?) I might have had to upload my health card as a secondary ID confirmation. I’m not too sure because I tried to look up their terms and conditions again, but it wouldn’t specify the process since I’m already a member. Either way, I know for SURE I had to upload my driver’s license, fill out a form, and wait for their email confirming my approval.
CAFE was different in the sense that it asked me to upload my driver’s license front and back, as well as it asked me to draw my signature, confirming I had read all the terms and conditions etc.
Payment
Even if weed is legal, that doesn’t mean there are no consequences to your open consumption. Many influent people are still very much filled with prejudice, meaning that if you like to travel, you might want to cover your tracks when it comes to the purchase of cannabis, otherwise, immigration officers in America might not let you past the border. Isn’t that silly?
Lawyers have been warning people that your legal pot buying data could get you banned from the U.S. as border officials are now able to check your credit card history.
Like, it’s one thing to try to enter/leave a country with drugs. That’s just plain stupid. But what you have done in your own personal time, in your own personal history, shouldn’t have anything to do with your visa. Unfortunately, that’s just the way it is.
Thankfully, though, these websites are pretty good at covering their tracks. CAFE isn’t just a dispensary, but it is also an actual coffee shop, with amazing desserts. So if your record shows cafe, it normally doesn’t mean anything. Cannavitae, on another hand, has a pretty obvious name regarding the business. So, in order to save you trouble, they handle their payments via interac e-transfers. And don’t worry! It might sound sketchy if you’ve never done it, but it’s totally safe and they never accept the e-transfer until the order is on its way! Cool, isn’t it?
