Image copyrightEazeImage caption The recreational use of cannabis became legal in California in January 2018 Ordering cannabis in Los Angeles is now as easy as booking a taxi.Click on an app, choose your preferred product, pay for it and then sit back and wait for it to be delivered to your door.Eaze is just one of several firms taking advantage of legalisation of cannabis, for which people of California voted overwhelmingly in favour in 2016.Since January last year, when use of recreational cannabis became legal across state, start-up has seen an 80% increase in sign-ups.It had run a limited medicinal cannabis delivery service for two decades, with anyone who wanted to order having to download medical evidence that they needed it.But now mood has changed and 10 states around US have made recreational cannabis legal, with use of drug for medical reasons allowed in 33 of 50 states.Image copyrightEazeImage caption The app works like any other e-commerce site "People used to consume with their friends and would have had a guy that delivered.

Now a lot of people feel more comfortable about coming out of shadows about their cannabis consumption," said Sheena Shiravi, director of communications at Eaze.Not everyone is convinced about new laws though, with doctors in US and Canada - where it was also recently legalised - urging caution when it comes to usage, both in terms of addiction and effects of drug on brain, particularly for young people.Dr Romina Mizrahi, a doctor at Canada's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, has done a lot of research into link between cannabis use and psychosis.

She believes it can be dangerous to smoke drug under age of 25."When people start smoking before age of 16, there is a higher risk of having a psychotic experience.

We know that early use is dangerous," she told TheIndianSubcontinent.Opiate crisisAccording to Ms Shiravi, vast majority of her company's users (80%) cite their use of drug as being for general "wellness".

"It helps with stress levels, decreases alcohol consumption and cannabis is a lot safer than alcohol," she told TheIndianSubcontinent.For her, use of marijuana can also help alleviate US's opiate crisis, which has seen addiction to shop-bought painkillers skyrocket."Cannabis is a huge tool missing in toolbox of pain management.

It is not a silver bullet but should definitely be considered in face of hundreds of thousands of opioid deaths," she said.Cannabis factsCan cause confusion, anxiety and paranoiaIf smoked with tobacco, can increase risk of diseases like lung cancerRegular use has been linked to an increased risk of psychotic illnessUsed in some places to treat side effects of multiple sclerosis and cancerTrials under way to look at how it might be used to treat other conditions including epilepsy and HIV/AidsSource: NHS ChoicesEaze describes itself as a technology platform that creates an ecosystem around drug, aiming to become "credible, trusted source for all things cannabis".It currently has around a dozen retailers, and between 40 and 60 different brands of cannabis, all of which have been safety tested.

The retailers employ drivers but buying process, payment and delivery can be done within app.There are checks to verify users are over 21 and also to ensure they only buy limited amounts per day.Image copyrightEazeImage caption Thousands of deliveries are made around state every week A consumer uses site in same way they would use any e-commerce platform, picking product they want, paying for it by credit card and then ordering a car to deliver it."It is just like shopping on Amazon or picking a movie on Netflix," said Ms Shiravi.Gummy bearsIn company's offices in Venice Beach, there are three large screens that monitor in real-time deliveries it makes.

Exact numbers are confidential but judging by amount of cars that appear to be making their way to destinations all over state, business is healthy.Ms Shiravi says that it makes "thousands of deliveries" each week.Cannabis on site is available in a variety of formats, from sprays to vaporisers to face creams, chocolates and gummy bears.Smoking is still most popular way to consume it, with vaporisers growing in popularity, according to Ms Shiravi.There are hundreds of different chemical compounds in a cannabis plant - known as cannabinoids - and amount of each is broken down on descriptions of different products, so people know exactly what they are getting.For those wanting to experience a high, products with a higher percentage of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are preferred, while those wanting something for stress or pain relief will look for products containing cannabidiol (CBD), which is non-psychoactive.Edibles are also becoming increasingly popular.Image copyrightEazeImage caption Products arrive in a childproof bag "People might have had a really bad edible experience and ended up couch-locked because they did not know how much cannabis was in it."If someone in past was cooking a (hash) brownie, it could have 25 to 30mg of cannabis flower, whereas we have products with as little as 5mg, which is a huge difference.

The motto is 'start low and go slow'."High taxThe products Eaze sells range from $15 (£12) to $50, but are then hit with an additional 20% to 40% tax rate, depending on jurisdiction."Our biggest competition is still illicit market.

One in five people are still shopping from there because of taxes," said Ms Shiravi.First quarter revenue from cannabis taxes in California totalled $34m - well below what was needed to be on track for $1bn in yearly revenue, it had forecast.Under state rules, individuals are only allowed to purchase a limited amount of cannabis per day and this is enforced on app.

Everyone is also ID-checked - both when they sign up for an account and when a product is delivered - to ensure that they are 21 or older, and products arrive in a childproof package to help prevent unwanted accidents.Image copyrightEazeImage caption The fastest-growing number of users is women, said one retailer For retailers, platforms such as Eaze have transformed way they do business.Sky Siegel is general manager of Perennial Holistic Wellness Center, a shop selling cannabis products in Los Angeles.

He now has clients all over state.And now app collates data about what people are buying, he is beginning to see how different clients want different things, based on where they live, their age and gender.So, for example, people living on coast in California order different products to those living in downtown LA."Artists want to use it to give themselves creative cerebral inspiration whereas working-class clients are looking for something to help them relax at end of a long day."Women are fastest growing demographic, he told TheIndianSubcontinent.The biggest issue for him and other retailers is finance model now that cannabis selling has moved from a cash economy to credit or debit card purchases.Because cannabis is not legal at a national level in US, many banks refuse to finance such selling, or drop retailers once they find out what they sell.

It has left people like Mr Siegel playing banking whack-a-mole."We have to change banks every three months.

If state doesn't do something, or something happens at a federal level, we will run out of banks," he told TheIndianSubcontinent.Despite this, he does see platforms such as Eaze as continuing to flourish."Delivery is future and we foresee unprecedented growth," he said.