A new kind of delivery: Ordering cannabis right to your door

In a race to open cannabis dispensaries, one company is doing it a bit backward.

Canterra is an online cannabis delivery service working to open its brick-and-mortar store.

The company tells News10NBC it wanted to get its product out as fast as possible — and this was the way to do it.

Earlier this year, New York state added a delivery component for businesses that hold cannabis licenses.

And Canterra, based out of Buffalo, jumped right on it.

“We saw this as a great way to take the accessibility level of cannabis, especially in the communities that are not near major cities or not in areas that have dispensaries, and allow those consumers to get some great weed,” Matthew Krupp, founder and CEO of Canterra, said.

Right now, there are no licensed dispensaries open in the Finger Lakes region.

As long as Canterra stays based in Buffalo, the law says it is able to deliver anywhere in New York State.

“Primarily we’re working with brands in Western New York and the Finger Lakes. We started calling everyone in the immediate Western New York area and then slowly branched out from there, and I think we’re working with a dozen Finger Lakes brands right now,” Krupp said.

One dispensary in Rochester, MJ dispensary, is eagerly awaiting the day it can open.

Owner Ryan Martin says his store will be able to offer face-to-face interaction with customers.

“Here you’ll be able to speak to our staff, who are very highly educated and certified to be able to speak with you with knowledge of cannabis and help you get the right type of cannabis that you need or that you’re looking for,” Martin said.

Which raises the question: How do you know that what you’re getting online at Canterra is really going to work for you?

They’re using artificial intelligence to help.

You will be asked a series of questions, specifically about what you’ll be doing and how you want to feel.

“It’ll continue to ask you a few more questions. Then at the end it’ll compare all your answers to the data that we have and the products that are in our library, and it’ll tell you the product that will be best for you,” Krupp said.

And even when the product gets to you, the company says its drivers are heavily knowledgeable about their specific products. So, you can ask more questions there.

Overall, the two companies want the same thing.

“It’s definitely maybe taboo for someone to want to come into a place like this, but we’re trying to destigmatize all of that and allow people to just come into the store like they would any other liquor store, bar, restaurant even. Just trying to normalize cannabis,” Martin said.

Canterra’s website went live Monday at noon and was hit with a surplus of customers.

Their first day of deliveries will be this Friday, August 11.