Proposed pot swag ban makes it harder to compete with illicit pot: producers
TORONTO — A proposed ban on the use of cannabis brand elements on T-shirts and other swag would make it more difficult to stamp out the black market after legalization and have “significant” unintended consequences, licensed producers said Monday.
The Senate is set to make a final vote Thursday on an amended Bill C-45 before it goes back to the House of Commons for approval. The amendments include one that would prohibit the use of cannabis brand elements on promotional items that are not marijuana or marijuana accessories.
The amendment is “unwarranted” and could have unintended consequences beyond swag, such as barring the use of company logos on retail signage and promotional flyers, said Allan Rewak, executive director of the industry association Cannabis Council of Canada, which represents 80 per cent of licensed producers.
“It’s a messy amendment that will have significant implications far beyond than the idea of T-shirts and hats,” he said. “And the appropriate place for such restriction, if they’re warranted, would be in regulation.”