A juice delivery service in Washington, DC, is serving refreshing beverages like the Straight Up Grapefruit, Rose Water, and Charcoal Lemonade — with a side of pot. And the founder claims it's legal.
"It's legal to gift marijuana, it's illegal to sell it," says 25-year-old David Umeh, the company's CEO.
High Speed Delivery is an on-demand startup that allows users to order juice to their doorstep. Each purchase comes with a "donation" of marijuana that drives up the cost of the juice from $11 to $55 or $150, depending on how much weed the user desires. Most opt for the "Love" package, which contains about an eighth of an ounce of pot.
Within two hours or ordering, the deliveryperson arrives with the juice and the bud. The buyer's billing information must match the address on their driver's license, which helps the company verify that they're over the age 21.
In Washington, DC, a piece of legislation called Initiative 71 permits people over the age of 21 to possess up to two ounces of marijuana and transfer without payment up to one ounce of pot to another person over the age of 21. As long as money isn't exchanged, it's a pretty giving loophole.
High Speed Delivery charges customers for the juice, and merely "gifts" the marijuana, according to Umeh. That's how the company takes advantage of the law.
"My business model is built on putting cannabis on the back burner," Umeh says.
Today, High Speed Delivery claims it has over 300 customers in the DC area, and Umeh says it's experienced 200% growth since the media caught wind of the company earlier this week.
The attention has made it challenging to keep product in stock. As of writing, it was sold out of all juices on its website.
Though Umeh consulted several lawyers before launch, he says plans for expansion are on hold until he gets some sort of greenlight from the authorities to keep doing what he's doing.
"We haven't had the stamp of approval," he says, "not until Barack Obama orders the juice."
