From gas stations in Florida to Uber Eats in Toronto, the future looks good for North American cannabis economy

Following Uber Eats’ partnership with Canadian cannabis dispensary Leafly, the latest step forward towards cannabis entering the mainstream market involves its licensed sale at gas stations and convenience stores in Florida, US.

The revolutionary decision stems from a partnership between the global convenience-store chain Circle-K and Green Thumb Industries Inc - one of the US’s leading cannabis producers.

The deal, which comes to effect starting next year, will include licensed cannabis and its products being sold at 10 of Circle-K’s 600 gas station stores in Florida. Under the agreement, Green Thumb will lease space from Circle K locations and sell the marijuana.

Though purchases at the stores will be restricted to medical marijuana card holders in Florida (since cannabis can only be sold for medical use in Florida), the fact that cannabis shall be made readily accessible to the public alongside everyday staples, is a step closer towards integrating cannabis into the mainstream.

The Circle-K announcement comes just a couple days after Uber Eats announces a decision along similar lines. The food delivery service partners with online Canadian cannabis dispensary Leafly to home deliver cannabis.

Customers in Toronto shall be able to have cannabis and its products delivered to their doorsteps from three local cannabis retailers — Hidden Leaf Cannabis, Minerva Cannabis and Shivaa’s Rose.

Those above the legal age of 19 years in the city shall be able to place orders on the Uber Eats app the same way they would for food and the retailers will send staff certified under the province’s cannabis retail education program, CannSell, to deliver customers’ purchases to their doorstep after proper age and sobriety verification.

Though under Canadian federal legislation, adults can possess up to 30 grams of legally-produced cannabis and grow up to four cannabis plants per household, the cannabis legislation still has a way to go. 

Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden addressed the growing concerns of the racially disproportionate levels of cannabis-related incarcerations over the United States and issued federal pardons to those convicted of simple cannabis possession.

Biden’s statement comes amid the recent introduction of the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, or the cannabis bill, that seeks the decriminalisation of cannabis on the federal level and allows states to set their own cannabis laws without pressure from the central government.  

As things stand, recreational marijuana is already legal in 19 states and Washington DC. Medicinal usage of cannabis is legal in 37 states and three US territories. However, cannabis still remains illegal across the United States on a federal level owing to its classification as a Schedule I drug.

According to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Schedule 1 drugs have no medical value and high potential for abuse, while schedule 2 through 5 substances all have some medical value but differ in ranking depending on their potential for abuse (from high to low).

The Circle-K deal in Florida comes as a much-needed step forward in the right direction, shattering preconceived beliefs about cannabis and opening up many avenues for medicinal prescriptions, banking licenses and federal tax reductions on the substance.

According to research conducted under Coresight Research’s US Cannabis Survey 2022, as more and more states in the US move towards legalisation, the market for cannabis has tripled over the last three years in the country. 

Following survey’s across 41 states where cannabis is legal in some way, shape or form, the average cannabis expenditure among users was $85, bringing the estimated market worth of cannabis up to about $64 billion annually. 

Most recently, according to Forbes, the potential opportunity to invest in the unborn German recreational cannabis market is driving US multistate operators to invest in Europe, furthering the scope for the rapidly expanding global cannabis market. 

The very same exponential rate of growth shall become too large of an incentive for the US federal government to ignore and shall further the cause for decriminalisation. Here’s hoping other countries across the world follow suit in good time.