Postal services ready for wave of legal pot deliveries

TORONTO — Legal cannabis is set to usher in a wave of high-value, age-restricted parcels in the mail system, and delivery companies say they’re ready.

The test of the system will come as Ontario relies entirely on the postal system for deliveries when pot is legalized on Wednesday while other provinces expect to see a fair portion of sales from online.

All provinces will require strict age verification of deliveries, but a combination of existing practices and new systems will help Purolator with the challenge, said Ramsey Mansour, vice-president of corporate strategy and marketing at the company.

“We have set up the appropriate technologies, training, and processes in place to be able to address this growing market. So we feel that we’re adequately prepared.”

Parcels will have to be sealed and not state they contain cannabis to reduce security risks, but they will be marked as needing age verification. Those delivering the packages will also be notified that an age check is required.

Purolator, which has contracts in place to deliver cannabis for Alberta and Prince Edward Island, already delivers medical cannabis for about half of the producers so it is familiar with the added demands of delivering the product, Mansour said.

The volume is only expected to make up a percentage in the low single digits of overall parcels, and shouldn’t bog down the system, he said.

“I consider the volume to be sizable, but in relation to the overall growth and our overall volume, not as substantial.”

While the company expects to see an increase in volumes, it will be able to handle it, assured spokesperson Phil Legault by email.