4 Changes for California Cannabis Delivery Services

The legalization of recreational marijuana in California has already had some significant effects on the marijuana industry. Operating in a highly regulated marketplace has already presented some challenges for cannabis delivery services. While the State of California fully supports adult-use marijuana sales, many cities and counties have passed ordinances that ban such activity.

Delivering products to these areas and completing transactions could be deemed illegal. These are issues that major delivery services have had trouble with but continue to service customers that are allowed to purchase both medical and recreational cannabis.

In this article, we’ll cover a few changes for California cannabis delivery services in the wake of new regulations.

GPS Tracking Device

All vehicles that will be used for deliveries will need to be equipped with a dedicated GPS device. This new requirement will be primarily used for monitoring the movement of couriers to ensure they are meeting the standards set by the State.

The Bureau of Cannabis Control stipulates that “The device shall be either permanently or temporarily affixed to the delivery vehicle and shall remain active and inside of the delivery vehicle at all times during delivery.” Investing in these devices might well be worth the cost as some dispensaries have seen an uptick in mobile sales accounting for almost 25% of revenue.

Onboard Cannabis Limits

New limits have been place on the amount of product that cannabis delivery services can carry on board at any one time. Drivers will only be able to have $3,000 worth of product in their vehicle based on the current retail price.

Marijuana dispensaries with delivery service will need to use customer insights to inform them about the types of products that supply to their couriers. This will be essential to making deliveries efficient so that couriers aren’t forced to return to the dispensary after every order.

Delivery Request Receipts

In order to maintain compliance and submit delivery sales to the Metrc reporting system, cannabis retailer must create delivery request receipts for every single order. After a delivery transaction is complete the driver must give a copy to the customer and keep one copy for dispensary records.

There is quite a bit of information that is required on the delivery request receipts. Below is a list of the necessary details that must be included:

• Name and address of marijuana dispensary

• First name and employee number of delivery courier

• First name and employee number of staff member who prepared the order

• First name of the customer and a retailer assigned customer ID number

• Date and time the delivery was requested

• Delivery address

• Description of products delivered including weight, volume, or units

• Date and time the delivery was completed, and a signature from the customer

• Total amount paid for the delivery, including taxes, fees, cost of cannabis and delivery charges

Driver Documentation

Under the current regulations, couriers working for cannabis delivery services will need to possess specific documentation while fulfilling orders. Drivers must carry a copy of the dispensary business license at all times as well as government issued ID and a dispensary employee identification badge.

The marijuana dispensary will also be required to keep every courier’s information on file. This includes the vehicle make, model, color, VIN, registration and license plate number. Additionally, the cannabis retailer is responsible for keeping a record of all active delivery drivers.

There are definitely new challenges to running efficient cannabis delivery services but IndicaOnline has developed software with advance features that can simplify operations. Schedule a free demo to learn more about our smart delivery tools that will help you boost mobile sales in no time.