DENVER — The first business approved to transport marijuana launched a soft opening this week and delivered marijuana to customers for the first time in Denver’s history.
Ari Cohen and his wife, Karina Cohen, started doobba, a business contracted by pot shops approved for cannabis delivery to transport their product to customer’s doorstep.
So far, they’ve made about ten deliveries throughout Denver, an experience delivering a new high for an industry expected to grow. Last year, Denver recorded more than $700 million in marijuana sales, a record-breaking year.
The couple opened the soft launch to select friends and people in the marijuana industry.
Stefani Lucas placed her order with Strawberry Fields and scheduled her delivery around 2 p.m. on Friday.
“It’s really about time that Colorado has delivery, so it’s really exciting and historic,” Lucas said. “Sometimes when you go into a dispensary, you feel some pressure to move fast if it’s busy or there is a line behind you, so now it gives you a little bit more time to go through an online menu and feel like you are not rushed.”
So far, out of 215 marijuana shops in Denver, six have been granted a delivery permit, and four companies have been licensed to transport products.
“There are people that are homebound, there are people who don’t have access to a vehicle or public transportation to get to a store, there are people who just don’t want to come to the store — they want to be discrete in their use of marijuana — and I think this is perfect,” Ari Cohen said.
The company is only delivering recreational marijuana as of now, but they plan to expand to medical cannabis by next week.
To order marijuana online and have it delivered, clients must be 21 years old, have an ID, and be present during the delivery. Deliveries can only be made to a home, not a hotel or office, and only one delivery can be made per home, per day. Recreational marijuana orders are limited to 1 ounce and 2 ounces for medical use.
Each delivery is tracked, and product and cash are stored in a lock box. To help protect drivers, dash cameras are required and drivers use unmarked cars. Karina Cohen says her company prefers credit card transactions over cash to help keep drivers safe.
“In the past, a lot of dispensaries have been subject to getting robbed,” Karina Cohen said.
She says safety and satisfaction are key.
“You know, it’s Friday afternoon, my weed is getting delivered, and my husband and I are going to have a fun Friday activity,” Lucas said.
In November, the city will begin to accept applications for hospitality marijuana consumption.