We’re in a golden era for cannabis convenience here in California. The state has licensed around 150 companies to legally deliver adult-use cannabis to our doors. No other state enjoys that level of service—yet.
Delivery is perfect for busy professionals, the disabled, people too shy to go into a retail store, or anyone who wants to enjoy the convenience of getting flowers, edibles, prerolls, extracts, and topicals delivered directly to their door. And since it’s 2019, a new crop of tech-savvy services simplify online ordering, promising tested, pure cannabis in your hands within 30 minutes to two hours after you click “purchase.”
Always check your order immediately to ensure accuracy, and don’t forget to tip your driver!
But which of the dozens of delivery services is the right one for you? Menus, service areas, and minimum orders all vary. Leafly placed home orders from some of the major metropolitan delivery services in California—all state-legal and licensed to operate—and rated their menu selection, delivery speed, and ease of use.
Compared to an in-store cannabis retail experience, purchasing from a delivery service isn’t quite as fun. You don’t get to sniff all of the flowers before deciding what to choose, and there’s no personalized consultation. But while delivery menus might not be as extensive, there’s sometimes a significant savings for the consumer compared to retail pricing. Look for trusted brands and products you’re already familiar with, and compare prices if there are multiple services in your area.
You’ll need to upload a photo of your driver’s license, and be ready for your courier. Most delivery drivers still expect to be paid in cash, and will need to verify your ID at the door. Always check your order immediately to ensure accuracy—and don’t forget to tip your driver!Legal Dispensary Delivery Near You
Emjay
Best for: Gelato fans
Price: on par with local dispensaries
Service area:Los Angeles
Speed of delivery: within 30 minutes
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Showing you dispensaries nearDelivery fee: $5
Selection: 4 stars out of 5
Minimum order: $25
This newly launched delivery service promises to get cannabis to you in 30 minutes, making it one of the fastest options in Los Angeles. Our friendly driver arrived in a mind-bogglingly fast ten minutes with a Gello Gelato preroll, RAW rolling papers, and Raw Garden concentrate. A sleek, intuitive interface enables seamless ordering, with built-in ID verification that makes it quick to sign up and start shopping in just a few minutes.
While you might not be saving any money with this service, the limited menu is nicely curated, with “CBD Wellness” options alongside premium products from trusted brands. Look for top-shelf selections from partner Sherbinskis ($60 per eighth of indoor flower) along with items from Bloom Farms, Caliva, Jetty, Lowell’s, Raw Garden, and THC Design rounding out the flower, preroll, vape and concentrate menus, with a small selection of gourmet edibles from Beboe, Defoncé, and Kiva.
Billed as a “vertically integrated delivery platform,” that’s “built on compliance,” Emjay is fully licensed by the state. Sherbinskis founder Mario Guzman is a partner, which explains the predominance of his brand on the menu. Look for the best value in $30 sungrown eighths of Gello Gelato or Pink Panties, which will not disappoint!
Mellow
(Elise McDonough for Leafly)
Best for: penny pinchers
Price: slightly less than local stores
Service area: East Bay
Speed of delivery: within 30-60 minutes
Delivery fee: $0
Selection: 3 stars out of 5
Minimum order: $35
Mellow’s shopping experience is powered by a Meadow menu system for solid overall service. After estimating delivery time at 60 to 90 minutes, our driver arrived in under an hour with an AJ Sour preroll and an eighth of Purple Punch from THC Design.
Advantages include a wider menu selection with more budget options—of the 28 options for eighths of flower, only two cost over $35, with most around $25. You’ll find plenty of Pax pods of varying flavors from $35-$40 for a half-gram, and make sure to check out the vape carts and concentrates from The Guild. There’s not much selection for edibles beyond gummies and chocolates, with Level tablets, Breez Mints, and CBD tinctures rounding out the menu. As far as prerolls, you’re limited to $10, 1-gram joints from Lowell’s and a pack of Coast Leaflettes for $39. Adding more options for edibles, prerolls, and top-shelf flower would be welcomed, but this is a reliable service for mid-range flower that will fit your budget.
Sava
Best for: Earth mommas
Price: on par with stores
Service area:San Francisco and the greater Bay Area, including limited service to Marin, Tri-Valley, and Contra Costa
Speed of delivery: within an hour in San Francisco, with same day delivery for other Bay Area locations if orders are submitted before noon
Delivery fee: $10 for orders under $100, free for orders over $100
Selection: 3 stars out of 5
Minimum order: no minimum
Founded by women for women, Sava offers a tightly curated selection of stylishly branded cannabis products, placing an emphasis on edibles, vapes and topicals. Options for infused foods are unparalleled when compared to other delivery service menus, with familiar favorites like gummies and chocolate alongside the best artisanal, THC-infused confections that Nor-Cal has to offer.
Choose from brands owned by women, including stellar standouts like Mellows, Garden Society, Lulu’s, Potli, and Om. Stock up on low-dose favorites like Kikoko Tea, look for cutting-edge sublinguals from OLO and Kin Slips, and find healthy options like Atlas Granola Clusters. Get supplied for a spa day with selections from the topicals menu, including bath soaks, lotions, and rubs, as well as THC-infused personal lubricants like Quim Rock.
Sadly, the flower and concentrate menus are not as robust, but you’ll find biodynamic prerolls from HerbaBuena and a few eco-friendly jars of flower. Well-designed tech makes browsing for products convenient, and delivery options allow for advance scheduling within a two-hour window. You can also choose to pay with cash or a credit card in advance, and there’s 10% discounts for seniors and veterans.
Ready to Shop Legal Cannabis? Leafly Locates Your Local Cannabis Menus
Puffy
(Courtesy of Puffy)
Best for: country folk
Price: less than most stores
Service area: almost everywhere in California with next-day delivery. Even rural locations in “cannabis deserts” can get delivery within 2-3 days. Customers in the greater Los Angeles area, Sacramento, and San Diego can get same-day delivery.
Speed of delivery: within 1-3 days
Delivery fee: $8 on orders under $50, free for orders over $50
Selection: 4 stars out of 5
Minimum order: no minimum order amount
Formerly known as Stoney, the main allure of Puffy is the huge menu along with the fact that they deliver almost everywhere in California, even rural locations. Their tech can be a little clunky sometimes, especially when loading extensive menus, but the process of getting signed up is painless.
Since legalized cannabis took effect in 2018, there’s been a tug-of-war in the state of California between “local control” and “access for all,” with delivery services stuck in the middle. Local control led to county-wide bans on commercial cannabis activity, effectively creating “cannabis deserts.” A January 2019 rule clarified that delivery services are allowed to serve any adult 21 or older throughout the state—even in cities and counties that ban brick-and-mortar dispensaries.
Choose from over 40 flower varieties at all price points, starting at $10 for an eighth of shake and topping out at $50 for top-shelf Josh D branded Illuminati OG. Sungrown Cookies eighths are a good deal at $30. Look for value in volume purchases like $62.50 for a half-ounce of Skunk Dawg from Roller’s Delight. Dabbers will find a few concentrate options, while vape lovers have a wide array of Heavy Hitters and Select Oil carts to choose from. The edibles menu could use some love, with a few trusted brands like Kiva and Plus alone amidst a predominance of THC-infused junk food, and it would be nice to have more preroll options, but there’s a lot to like about Puffy overall.
Cali Xpress
Best for: patient deal-hunters
Price: less than most stores
Service area: Greater Bay Area including the suburbs Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon, Concord, Martinez, and outliers like Half Moon Bay and Livermore
Speed of delivery: within two hours for Greater Bay Area, four hours for fringe cities, and next day service to Half Moon Bay and Livermore
Delivery fee: $10
Selection: 1 out of 5 stars
Minimum order: $69 for Greater Bay Area and $145 for fringe cities and outliers
The high minimum order amount, limited menu selection, and clunky sign-up process means that Cali Xpress is due for a few upgrades in order to remain competitive. When first applying for an account, you’ll need to allow at least a few hours for approval before you can start shopping.
Flowers are listed on the menu in a generic way—“Assorted Greenhouse Eighth”—without brand names or even strain names for all but a few options. Look for Sunset Sherbet, GSC, and Banana Punch flowers if you’re seeking kinder buds.
People shop Cali XPress for volume deals and sales on flower, with an ounce of shake starting at $69, up to $129 for an ounce of Sunset Sherbet, and plenty of options in between. Mix and match six eighths for $89, or half-ounces for $69. There are very few options for added-value products like prerolls, edibles, vapes, and concentrates, with some Care by Design CBD capsules and vapes available for those seeking to avoid THC. If you’re on a tight budget, Cali XPress might be worth your hard-earned cash, but there’s likely to better options out there that can get products to your door much quicker.
Eaze
(Elise McDonough for Leafly)
Best for: curious newbies
Price: on par with local stores
Service area: covers vast swathes of California, including the Bay Area, Sacramento, Sonoma and Napa counties, Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Diego, the OC, and Inland Empire of San Bernardino
Speed of delivery: may vary depending on traffic, time to delivery location, product availability, and many other factors
Delivery fee: $5 (waived for first-time customers)
Selection: 2 stars out of 5
Minimum order: $25
Gobbling up market share throughout California, delivery app Eaze operates as a “technology platform,” not as a state-licensed cannabis business, which generated its own political controversy. From a consumer perspective, the service is easy to use, with intuitive design and rapid response. After placing an order in the afternoon with an estimated 70-95 minute delivery time, our driver showed up in 60 minutes.
Significant drawbacks include a limited menu, with only a few items qualifying as truly top-shelf. With fewer than 20 types of flower available from a handful of brands, it’d be nice to see Eaze expand their offerings. Those looking for rock-bottom pricing will find ounces of shake from Old Pal at $50, while smokers with a picky palate should stick with eighths of Classix Chemdawg 4 or Lemon Tree at $39-$50.
You’ll find many more choices in the vape cart category, with 1 gram of Heavy Hitters at $60, and a wide array of options from Dosist, G Pen Gios and Pax Eras. Edibles-lovers aren’t as lucky, since Eaze only stocks ten types of infused foods. Look for Plus Gummies for $16 and Atlas drink mixes for $6.
