Over the past two years, it seems everything we could ever imagine is being now able to be delivered to our front porch—well, almost everything. From food to alcohol to prescription medications, if you can think of it, someone will deliver it to you for a small fee. During the pandemic, home delivery exploded, but one area remained untouched: cannabis.
That’s about to change, thanks to a name you’ll be seeing a lot more of beginning in 2022: Upling.
Upling is a new app that allows cannabis users to get dispensary products delivered to their doorstep. The app, which is launching in DC and Maryland, connects customers with dispensaries in their area.
Upling is the brainchild of Colin, a technological innovator who saw a gap in the market. Despite the leaps made in terms of making cannabis legal and more accessible, the industry still hasn’t made many strides in the tech sector. Colin wanted to change that.
“I was looking for an opportunity to get into the cannabis industry and saw a lot of potential in delivery,” Colin explained. “There are a ton of dispensaries out there, but no real way to connect customers with them.”
Upling is filling that void. The app is sleek and easy to use. Customers simply enter their zip code and are given a list of participating dispensaries in their area. They can then view the menu, pricing, and ratings from other customers before making a selection.
Once they make a purchase, Upling will send a driver to pick up the order and deliver it right to the customer’s door. It’s Doordash for weed.
The idea makes perfect sense, given our current climate. With more states legalizing marijuana and more people using it, why has it taken so long for someone to create an app?
“The technology is different as well as the rules and regulations; most states just haven’t come up with policies on how to do cannabis deliveries to make it as safe as possible…We have an in-house lawyer and medical doctor that keeps us up to date with any changes of the law and state regulations…”
Launching a business in a relatively untouched sector can be a nerve-wracking process with many ups and downs, but Colin has used the hiccups along the way to refine Upling into a full-service app. His plan is to “partner with high-quality dispensaries to provide a diverse marketplace and the tools needed to enable safe and reliable cannabis transactions for pickup or delivery.” As soon as you look at the app, you’ll see his plan was a success.
With the app—which is in both the android and apple app stores—Upling offers a full POS where dispensaries have total control of inventory management and real-time tracking of orders that ensures products are delivered safely and securely.
And what about safety for the drivers themselves? Delivering in any capacity isn’t without risk, but handling something like cannabis can be even riskier. Upling has drivers covered.
Safety standards for drivers are high on the list of priorities with this app. The drivers carry no cash and receive payments through the app itself. With internal GPS monitoring of all active drivers, they can rest assured they’re not on the road alone. If anything out of the ordinary occurs, the Upling team is trained to respond quickly.
With an official launch date of 4/20 (pun completely intended!), Upling is ready to serve. When asked what his favorite feature of the app is, Colin quickly dove into the high-end dispensary backend system.
“The inventory management and POS is the most exciting part, where the dispensaries and set it and forget it! It’s a fast and easy experience with no lag time. The communication between the driver and dispensary will make you feel like a valued customer where you know your money and time has been well spent.”
And cannabis users will be equally taken care of. Customer service protocols are in place to help ease the mind of customers. This includes hiring trustworthy drivers with no cash on hand, trained staff available to answer questions during all operating hours, and only working with the best dispensaries in the area. They also make sure that their team is always up to date with any changes to state regulations or laws dealing with cannabis.
This isn’t just an attempt to jump into a hot new industry—their passion is to not only improve the market itself but to help legitimize it further, easing the lingering stigma behind cannabis. Upling is committed to being more than a delivery app. They are partnering with a local green waste management company, Earthly Conversions, that legally disposes of cannabis waste.
Many people—even dispensaries themselves—don’t know that cannabis can only be disposed of by third-party waste companies who are specifically trained in proper disposal. While developing the app, Colin ensured every aspect of the process was done within all legal specifications in mind. Not only is he creating access via his revolutionary delivery system, he’s also helping dispensaries maintain and improve required legal compliance.
Earthly Conversions is a woman-owned company that has over 40 years of experience in waste management, alleviating the pesky process of proper disposal from dispensaries’ hands. Their state-of-the-art facilities combined with Upling’s brand new technology makes them a dominant force in the cannabis market strides ahead of any of the competition. Have no fear about this new app—they’ve thought of everything to make the process as effortless as possible for all parties involved.
Although the official launch date isn’t here yet, Upling is already hard at work on future upgrades and expanding to more areas. If your state has legalized cannabis, the app will be available to you soon! Each state has its own legal requirements for marijuana and delivery, and the team is fast at work sorting through them all.
What Colin has done with the Upling app is nothing short of incredible. When I asked him his secret, he left me with a few inspiring words:
“Make sure the passion and excitement are still there from when you first start and remember why you started—only you can see how far you want to go! I’m a strong believer in Christ, and I consulted with Him every step of the way to make sure I didn’t get off track and did things the right way all the way.”
