2 solutions to ID verification for cannabis delivery

Last updated 6/18/2026

How cannabis dispensaries can verify age of eCommerce orders

According to our partner Flowhub, online channels now account for 25-30% of total dispensary revenue, and even higher for top performing dispensaries. Cannabis delivery and BOPIS are growing at an average CAGR of 13.4%.

However, eCommerce purchase and delivery has exposed gaps in many dispensaries age verification processes. NECANN reports that more than 18% of cannabis eCommerce experiences lack age verification, and for many that due, their “age verification” amounts simply to an age gate – easily bypassed by underage cannabis customers.

Additionally, most regulations for cannabis sales are written with a brick-and-mortar dispensary in mind, and so can be difficult to translate into a delivery workflow.

How do dispensaries that offer cannabis delivery stay compliant?

With the consequences of non-compliance so steep, dispensaries must ensure they validate eCommerce customers and maintain the same standards of compliance. There are two touchpoints with the customer that introduce risk:

1. The checkout/purchase of products
2. The delivery of products

Cannabis retailers that rely on overtaxed drivers to manually spot fake IDs when delivering products are fostering risks that make the businesses, and the drivers themselves, unnecessarily vulnerable. Detecting fakes and navigating the tricky conversations when fake IDs are encountered is hard enough inside the dispensary. Doing it at someone’s front door is even harder.

The solution? ID scanning technology that takes the guesswork out of the ID verification process. There are two types of technology that can easily cover both of the high risk customer touchpoints.

Digital identity verification in the eCommerce checkout flow

During the checkout process, before payment processing, dispensaries can elect to insert basic ID and age verification. This ensures that the individual making the purchase is of age before they buy. The process is quite simple:

1. A gate informs the customer that they must verify their age before checkout
2. The customer takes a photo of the front and back of their ID
3. The customer takes a selfie (face matching between the selfie and ID is performed)
4. ID verification software confirms validity of the ID
5. The software sends a “valid” response back into the flow so the customer can continue their purchase

This software is commonly used by banks, online alcohol retailers, cryptocurrency companies, and iGaming companies who need to verify identity remotely. It takes less than 12 seconds and minimally interrupts the eComm experience. It can detect fraudulent or stolen/borrowed IDs being used to by cannabis product, and ensures no sales are completed to minors.

Handheld ID scanners for use at product drop-off

The easiest way for dispensaries to maintain ID verification compliance in a delivery environment is through handheld scanners. Many dispensaries try to do this using their delivery drivers phones, but the largest MSOs issue dedicated ID scanners that can be used specifically for this purpose.

Mobile hardware, designed for scanning IDs on-the-go greatly increases reliability with an improved camera, laser lighting that ensures the ID is properly lit for scanning, and native integration with barcode scanning software. 

These mobile solutions make verification easy, leveraging the precision and speed of AI technology to efficiently inspect IDs for the markers that prove their legitimacy. These solutions use image processing tools to look for age, expiration status, and the other key indicators of a valid ID. They can be directly integrated with POS systems as well to sync the ID scan, customer identity, and the bill into a joined record.

Start verifying IDs for cannabis delivery

Cannabis delivery is the future of the cannabis industry, giving businesses the opportunity to serve customers that they would otherwise lose. With the strength and security of mobile ID scanning technology, business leaders can protect their assets by maintaining 100% compliance standards. And with the additional benefits provided by data harvesting applications (an innate feature of ID scanning tools), cannabis establishments can improve marketing activations, growth strategies, and the overall consumer experience. That’s just good business.