According to a poll by Nugg MD, frequent cannabis consumers have high levels of interest in using delivery platforms such as DoorDash.
In January, DoorDash announced they will begin delivering hemp-based THC products in some markets.
In New Jersey, legal adult-use cannabis dispensaries and independent delivery companies are allowed to transport cannabis products to consumers.
According to the poll, fifty-five percent had a high interest in ordering cannabis products from apps like DoorDash.
There were 655 respondents to the delivery poll. They all said they consumed it regularly. The poll was conducted Feb. 20 – Feb. 23 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8%.
A NuggMD Cannabis Consumer Poll from last August found cannabis consumers are using hemp-based THC products frequently, with 41% reporting daily use.
“This poll is yet more evidence that federal cannabis prohibition is unfairly kneecapping legal, regulated businesses that serve Americans well and pay taxes,” NuggMD Head of Communications Andrew Graham declared
“Online commerce for cannabis clearly appeals to a large share of cannabis consumers,” he said.
“But federal prohibition makes it effectively impossible to do at scale. Cannabis prohibition creates unnecessary barriers for businesses, consumers. And patients that reduces consumer safety by pushing users into the unregulated market,” Graham exclaimed.
“We commend DoorDash for boldly evolving its policy to accommodate the hemp-derived THC products their users want. I hope to see other platforms follow suit and help people find the path to wellness that works best for them,” he added.
Cannabis Dispensaries Versus Smoke Shops and Hemp Stores
The size of DoorDash and their announcement touched on the increasing friction between those who see themselves in the state-licensed cannabis industry versus the possibly more national hemp industry.
They are two increasingly different things.
The 2018 Farm Bill was passed by Congress and signed into law. It allows for the industrial production of hemp with less than .3 percent Delta-9 THC. But then enterprising scientists found that they could make hemp that got you high. They found the Delta-8 THC, Delta-10 THC, THCA, and other cannabinoids that are in weed and get you high. So a hemp product can say it has no Delta-9 THC abut a lot of THCA.
So, through this loophole, a sort of weed was legalized and has gone national.
But, many bad actors in hemp do not care for their plants nor provide Certificates Of Analysis (COA) detailing what is in their products. Many convenience stores, gas stations, and bodegas sell the hemp equivalent of snake oil.
In New Jersey, a bill became law greatly restricting intoxicating hemp sales. Synthetic hemp and underage sales were banned. However, other parts of the bill cannot be implemented because of the appeal of a lawsuit.
But the many regulations imposed on dispensaries might be off-putting. Some consumers might not like the sterile, cold Apple store-like environment of some dispensaries, especially Multi-State Operators (MSOs).
In other states like Vermont, a legal cannabis dispensary can have large glass jars behind the counter that can then be shown to customers. When it’s picked, it can be shoveled into a bag and purchased.
In contrast, in Jersey, a big glass jar of weed behind a counter in a legal dispensary would get a dispensary in trouble.
Products have to be kept in a backroom like they’re made of radiation or gold.
Dealing with Issues
In contrast, smoke shops and hemp stores are not bound by many state rules. They seem closer to the ideal of legalization than the many compromises made to make the “slut Marijuana” into legal “Lady Cannabis” seen in dispensaries.
They both seem legal and like they’re selling similar products to potheads who have been blazing for years.
The smoke shops might be making more money if they don’t have to spend as much money following state rules. They also tell people they are federally legal. So this has made local champions of dispensaries throw a lot of shade on smoke shops, hemp stores, and their products in front of politicians.
Now it seems Governor Phil Murphy (D) wants a higher wholesale tax paid by businesses imposed on regulated intoxicating hemp than the one on legal cannabis products.
