Cannabis is now fully legal in Canada and 11 U.S. states, with more US states planning to legalise cannabis. In Canada, to buy cannabis products users need to be 18 years or older, in the US the minimum age is 21 years old. Cannabis and related products can be purchased online and delivered to the consumer’s front door. However this practice has caused controversy due to age verification compliance during online transactions.
Buying in store
When a consumer buys from a dispensary, they are often greeted by a “budtender” who will ask to see the customer’s driver’s license or other government-issued ID. They inspect the ID document, usually take a copy of it for their records, and sometimes ping a third-party database to verify the age and ensure the ID is legitimate. After the customer has been vetted and their age verified, they are usually asked to scan in their ID document on subsequent visits. The newly scanned ID is compared to the ID document on file to confirm it’s a match, and the user can then enter the dispensary and make cannabis purchases.
Buying online
When a consumer buys cannabis online companies rely solely on self-reporting, where the consumer simply interacts with a pop-up on screen that asks for their date of birth. If the date of birth provided exceeds the minimum age requirement, the consumer can access the website and make online purchases. If the date doesn’t match, they’re denied access to the website.
Problems with current age verification
As online sales increase, vendors must be able to confidently determine that an individual’s digital identity matches the real-world person making the purchase, ensuring that the consumer is of legal age. There are a number of potential repercussions of mismanaged age verification in the cannabis industry, all of which could hinder the growth of its legalization. Consider the current wave of legislation impacting the e-cigarette and vaping industry for example.
AgeGO has the solution
If you run an online cannabis retail business why not integrate AgeGO? Our technology is quick and easy to integrate within any website and creates a store branded AgeGO widget that instantly offers your consumer several quick, approved age verification methods. Not only will it help protect your business by truly verifying your customers ages, but each method is quick and simple for the consumer and can be done within minutes. Additionally AgeGO stores no customer data so that their privacy is totally protected, this builds up an excellent level of trust between your business and your customer. Visit our business section for more details or contact info@agego.com
