Marijuana Delivery Opens Door For Young Entrepreneurs
FRAMINGHAM (CBS) - Marijuana delivered right to your door. Delivery for recreational cannabis started this summer and it has opened up a door for young entrepreneurs who may not have had the chance before.
Marijuana retailer Cultivate has teamed up with the app Lantern and We Can Deliver to bring orders to homes. And people of color are first in line to benefit from this new industry.
Brianna Grignon of Cultivate says it was a selective process to find the right fit. "Massachusetts really set the tone for marijuana delivery applicants," she said. "Only giving them to social equity applicants for the first three years."
And one of those applicants was Gabe Salazar of the delivery business, "We Can Deliver." Gabe was once arrested for possession with intent to deliver. The legalization of marijuana has flipped the script for him.
"I've done it before in the past and I've gotten stabbed in my head three times over an ounce of weed, I've been shot at over a pound of weed. And to do this legally, honestly it's like it doesn't even feel real," he said.
Now, Gabe feels much safer. "I like doing it," he said. "It's an amazing feeling doing it legally. Because I don't have anything to worry about."
The process is easy. Customers can go on the Cultivate app to see if delivery is an option in their area and then place their orders. From there the Lantern portal will verify personal information and complete the transaction.
Cultivate says the entire process is meant to protect the delivery driver and customers.
"They need to have two drivers there at all times," said Brianna. "They're constantly on camera, they have body cameras, they have cameras inside the car, they have cameras in the trunk. And we are constantly monitoring our team and making sure everything is getting done."
And Cultivate says it feels good about giving opportunities to those who may have been overlooked in the past.
"I think that right now, we are writing the new norm for the American dream," Brianna said. "I think that we are bettering our wrongs that we have done to this country. How many people have been disproportionately affected by the war on drugs?"
As for Gabe, he's got big plans for his business, "I just like manifesting what I believe I can create."