On-demand recreational marijuana delivery comes to metro Detroit

 Metro Detroiters can now order recreational marijuana for delivery like they would food through a system such as Grubhub or DoorDash.

The online ordering site Lantern, which partners with the Michigan cannabis group 3Fifteen to process and deliver the orders, allows customers to order marijuana flower, concentrate and edibles and have it delivered to their home within an hour.

On-demand delivery is available in Detroit, Ann Arbor and the surrounding areas starting Thursday, with plans to eventually expand to cities such as Grand Rapids and Battle Creek.

Recreational marijuana customers have been able to place orders for scheduled deliveries from several marijuana shops, but Lantern is one of the first to offer delivery in real time. 

In Detroit, there are no recreational marijuana stores, but there are several in the suburbs.

Adult-use, or recreational, cannabis sales became legal in Michigan in December 2019, and since then sales have spiked. In August, recreational cannabis sales topped $59 million in Michigan, according to the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency, compared with about $57 million in sales in July.

Lantern is looking to capitalize on this growth.

"Michigan is obviously a huge cannabis market," said Meredith Mahoney, president of Lantern. "We were able to take advantage of a new set of rules the MRA released (this summer), which allows for a vehicle to go out on the road with products that is waiting to have orders taken. It adds a lot of flexibility to where your location is and how quickly your order gets there."

In order to keep drivers and products safe, all vehicles are unmarked, and drivers are able to carry only a limited amount of product on the road. Drivers are also required to return to the dispensary if they are out on the road for more than 30 minutes with no new orders coming in.

While Michigan is only the second market Lantern operates in (it launched first in Massachusetts), it has experience with a website and phone application for delivery through its sister company, Drizly. Drizly partners with local liquor stores to deliver alcohol, similar to Lantern's business model.

"I think what's going to be very helpful to consumers is the way that we have built our e-commerce experience, which is very intuitive, includes great imagery and has lots of product information," Mahoney said. "We're aiming to have the experience feel as if you were in a store working with a budtender."

All deliveries through Lantern are subject to Michigan cannabis consumption laws and may not exceed 2.5 ounces of flower or 15 grams of concentrate. Customers must be at least 21 years old and present valid photo identification upon delivery. There's an order minimum of $50 and delivery is free.

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