The owner of Quebec’s largest retailer of cannabis paraphernalia is speaking out against a portion of the legalization bill that he says could put a major damper in his business.
Chris Mennillo said he was forced to sell huge chunks of inventory at a steep discount in his Prohibition chain of tobacco shops because they had the image of a cannabis leaf on them.
“Any product that’s not a smoking accessory that is branded with a cannabis leaf or a direct reference to cannabis would essentially be constituted as a marketing ploy and would deem that product illegal,” he said.
The law extends to further to some of the t-shirts he had in stock.
“For example, a t-shirt that says ‘My blunt is bigger than you,’ a corny joke on male genitalia, nonetheless they figured that it was a reference to cannabis and we had to remove the t-shirt,” he said.
While marijuana was legalized across Canada on Oct. 17, only Quebec’s provincial laws contain such a ban. Elsewhere, the paraphernalia business is booming and is expected to grow even more with legalization.
Melany David, a partner at the Langlois law firm, said there will likely be amendments to Quebec’s bill as legalization plays out under the new Coalition Avenir Quebec provincial government. She said increasing pressure from retailers could result in new rules on marketing being among the first amendments.
“There is certainly a challenge pertaining to the freedom of expression, which is a right that’s protected by the Charter, so there is an opening for challenge,” she said.
Mennillo said he sees similarities between the law and the restrictions on advertising tobacco, but believes cannabis shouldn’t be treated the same way.
“I think there’s a very distinguishable difference between marketing t-shirts with a licensed product on it and a t-shirt that’s cultural and humouristic,” he said.
Mennillo said he’s considering challenging the law in court and is looking for other vendors who could be interested in joining in.
