Low and slow
A tale of online recreational pot orders
Canadians were eager to buy legal cannabis for recreational use online on Oct. 17, as government-run and privately operated pot portals were lit up with thousands of orders within the first 24 hours of legalization day.
However, the problems plaguing many of those initial orders such as delivery delays highlights the growing pains facing the newly legal market.
The Canadian Press tried to order the cheapest available gram or pre-roll of dried flower in each province and territory during the afternoon of Oct. 17. One order could not be completed and two had still yet to arrive more than one week later.
All websites required various age verification checks and most interfaces were easy to navigate, but the available product was low and delivery times were often slower than promised.
The fastest delivery was in Halifax where the bureau received its order within two days, while it took a full week before the order arrived in Iqaluit. The cheapest order including delivery was in Quebec at roughly $14 and the most expensive was in the Northwest Territories at more than $31.
Here’s how the pot order process rolled out across the Atlantic Canada:
Newfoundland and Labrador
Delivery date: Still waiting Shipping fee: $10 minimum
Cost: $8.99; $20.34 total cost Cannabis NL’S website was clean and easy to navigate, but on Oct. 17 the options for a quick, low-cost gram were limited. The “shop” section advertised dried flower, oils, pre-rolled joints and plants, but most products were labelled “coming soon.” The product page was fairly informative with a breakdown of the plant’s THC and CBD levels, growing method and province of origin, as well as acceptable methods of use. Sorting by lowest to highest price, the most affordable flower was a hybrid plant called Island Pink from Emerald Health Therapeutics Canada. The “expedited parcel” shipping was the cheaper option, promising a delivery time between five and seven days. On the morning of Oct. 26, the product had not yet arrived and Cannabis NL sent customers an email that said “unexpected challenges with supply” are causing “unfortunate delays.” It added that suppliers have agreed to begin refunding the Xpresspost shipping fees for orders that do not arrive within the posted delivery times.
— Holly Mckenzie-sutter in St. John’s
Prince Edward Island
Delivery date: Oct. 22 Shipping fee: $7
Cost: $7.83; $17.05 total cost including shipping
The P.E.I. Cannabis Corp. website greets you with a scenic Island landscape. The standard warnings flash “Start low. Go slow,” and various other catchy slogans. In product descriptions, some companies have opted to keep established illicit market names like “Diesel” while moved to establish their own names with strains like “Radiate”. The website allows users to sort by format, plant type, strength or brand, but not price. The package arrived Monday around 11:00 a.m. looking like anything else one would receive in the mail. FIGR’S No. 17 ground cannabis sealed in a red packet came with pamphlets about responsible smoking and a receipt. Though, the website advertised THC totals of 9.99 to 17.00 per cent and the description boasted levels of 21 per cent, the physical product was marked with a total THC percentage just under 13 per cent.
— Tony Davis in Charlottetown
New Brunswick
Delivery date: Oct. 22 Shipping fee: $7
Cost: $10.50; $17.50 total cost including shipping
The ordering process was simple. Just click on a button to state you are over 19, set up an account, order the product and go to the checkout to give your credit card info. A confirmation page after the order is placed indicated that the order should arrive by Friday. However, the package did not arrive at the office — part of the legislature press gallery in a secure government building — until Monday morning. Another reporter signed for the delivery, but was not asked for ID to ensure he was over 19 years of age. However, he’s close to 50 and bald. Inside the large plastic Canada Post envelope was a packing slip and the small brown paper envelope containing the cannabis. The envelope had a label with the product information and the perforation at the top of the envelope had a Cannabis NB seal over it.
— Kevin Bissett in Fredericton
Nova Scotia
Delivery date: Oct. 19 Shipping fee: $6.09
Cost: $8.65; $16.95 total cost including shipping
The Halifax bureau attempted to order the least expensive brands of dried flower cannabis from the government operated Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. Cannabis site at 3 p.m. on legalization day, just hours after obtaining an identification number from a downtown store. The brands that ranged from $6.33 to just under $7.50 per gram were unavailable, according to the website’s search by price function. However, one gram of the Haven St. Mango Kush was available at $8.65. A Canada Post delivery agent arrived at the door of the office two days after the order and a colleague who hadn’t ordered the marijuana signed for it. The packaging included consumer information that suggested the user “start low and go slow” in using the marijuana, and noted the effects could last up to six hours.
— Michael Tutton in Halifax