Last checked: September 30, 2026
Most delivery questions we get at After Dark aren't about products. They're about the hand-off: Do I have to be home? Can the driver leave it at the door? What ID do I need? The answers come from Ontario's rules for cannabis store delivery, and they're stricter than for a food or parcel order.
This page goes through the process in the order it happens. It's written for adults 19+ as a plain-language summary of the rules, not legal advice.
1. Who is allowed to bring the order?
Ontario Regulation 468/18 sets the delivery rules for cannabis stores in section 20.2. The first one is short: "The cannabis may only be delivered by the holder or an employee of the holder." In plain terms, the store itself or its own staff. A gig-app driver or a general courier isn't part of that picture, so if someone like that shows up with a cannabis order, it isn't how a legal store delivery works.
2. What has to happen before it leaves the store?
Two rules apply before anything goes out the door:
- Cannabis can't be taken out of the store's inventory for delivery "until an order to purchase the cannabis has been placed."
- It can't be delivered from a store "unless the order to purchase the cannabis was placed with that store."
On top of that, the order travels sealed. The regulation requires "original, unopened packaging." Nobody repacks, splits or tops up an order on the way.
3. Where can it be delivered?
The regulation says: "The cannabis may only be delivered to a residence or private place," using the definition of "private place" in Ontario's liquor regulation (O. Reg. 745/21, section 22). That definition says "An indoor place to which the public is not ordinarily invited or permitted is a private place except at the times when the public is invited or permitted access to it," and that an indoor place "available for rental by members of the public for occasional use is not a private place."
What that means for a hand-off: your home is the clear case. A park bench, a sidewalk or a parking lot isn't a residence, and it isn't one of the places that definition describes, so none of them works as a meeting point.
For us, orders go out from 1664 Jane Street in Toronto, just south of Lawrence Avenue West.
4. Who has to be there?
The regulation says the cannabis "may only be delivered to an individual who is located at the address provided in the order for the purchase of the cannabis." In practice:
- Someone has to be at that address to receive it in person.
- That person must be at least 19. Ontario's Cannabis Control Act, 2017 says "No person shall knowingly sell or distribute cannabis to a person under 19 years of age."
- If the person at the door appears to be under 25, the same Act requires the employee to ask for "a prescribed form of identification showing his or her age" and to be "satisfied that the person is at least 19 years old." The Act applies this at the time of purchase and also when purchased cannabis is handed over afterwards, which is what a delivery is.
If you placed the order, plan to be the one who opens the door, with your ID in hand.
5. Can it be left at the door?
No. Because the rule is delivery "to an individual" at the ordered address, an order can't be:
- left on a porch or doormat,
- dropped in a mailbox or parcel locker,
- handed to anyone under 19, even if they live there.
6. What if nobody's home?
The order comes back with the employee. Section 20.2 says cannabis removed from a store for delivery but not delivered "must be returned to the store that same day and remain there until the next day on which delivery is attempted." Nothing gets left behind "just this once."
7. Can the employee refuse to hand it over?
Yes, and sometimes they have to. Section 8 of the Cannabis Control Act, 2017 says "No person shall knowingly sell or distribute cannabis to a person who is or appears to be intoxicated." Add the under-19 rule and the ID rule above, and there are several situations where the order simply doesn't change hands at the door.
Getting ready for the knock
A short checklist so the hand-off goes smoothly:
- Have your ID out. If you appear under 25, the employee must see "a prescribed form of identification showing his or her age."
- Give a complete address. Include the unit number and any entry details for your building.
- Keep your phone on. If the employee can't get into the building, they'll need to reach you.
- Be at the address in the order. The rule ties the hand-off to that address, so don't ask to meet around the corner.
- If another adult will answer, tell them to have ID ready. Anyone who appears under 25 can be asked for it.
Quick answers
Can my 18-year-old roommate accept my order?
No. Cannabis can't be sold or distributed to anyone under 19.
Can I have it delivered to my office?
It depends on the place, not the job. The definition the regulation uses counts "an indoor place to which the public is not ordinarily invited or permitted" as a private place, except when the public is invited in. A reception area open to walk-in customers is a different situation from a closed office. If you're unsure, ask us before you order.
Why was I asked for ID when I'm obviously an adult?
Employees must ask anyone who appears under 25, and some stores ask everyone. It isn't personal.
Can the driver meet me in the parking lot instead?
No. Delivery goes to a residence or private place, to an individual at the address in the order.
If you'd rather come in, the store is at 1664 Jane Street, just south of Lawrence Avenue West, with a TTC stop at Jane and Lawrence about 100 metres away. For directions, open the visit page.