Dear Editor,
The legal cannabis industry in B.C. is fighting an uphill battle. It should be against the actors in the illicit sector, selling illegal cannabis products that are unregulated and unsafe. Instead, the battle this week has been against the B.C. media and their irresponsible, unresearched journalism that continues to increase the stigma around cannabis and put the general health and safety of the public at risk.
This week we have seen a major national newspaper publish an article about an incident in B.C. where children accessed illegal cannabis products that parents had improperly stored. This article did not note that the products in question were illegal, called the illegal sector “clandestine cannabis shops” and included a live link to an illegal store so that readers could purchase the illegal products themselves. One week later, that article remains posted with the links intact, even with repeated calls for its removal. Today, a response was put forward by the Editorial Board of the Times Colonist newspaper in Victoria with the headline “Editorial: Cannabis packaging should be responsible”. This editorial included photos of the illegal product, again not noting the product is illegal, and commentary on how there are no rules around restricting the marketing or appeal of cannabis products to youth. They noted that cannabis regulations “were scrambled together with undue haste and lack of foresight”. Both of these statements are entirely untrue and could have been avoided with one quick google search for “cannabis marketing rules canada”, which brings up the Canadian Cannabis Act that is full of marketing rules and restrictions on areas like promotion and inducement, all with the goal of protecting youth and ensuring public health and safety.
Illegal cannabis producers and retailers are unlicensed, selling products that do not need to be regulated or controlled. They do not pay or charge tax and do not have to follow the rules on marketing or packaging. There are considerable risks to buying these products, especially for youth, and we should all be working together – industry, government and media – to shut down these illegal operators and not to promote them or the negative stigmas around cannabis that these articles continue to perpetuate.
B.C.’s legal cannabis sector is full of responsible companies who are building up an industry that has created jobs, contributed to local economies and prioritized public health and safety. Media outlets should choose to use their voices for good, championing the work of the legal cannabis sector and helping to educate the public on the vast positive opportunities that supporting this industry can bring to the province.
Media representatives, if you have questions about cannabis or need clarification before publishing articles on cannabis, please ask. We are ready to help you.
