Pubdate: Sat, 12 Aug 2017
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2017 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.ottawacitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Jacquie Miller
Page: A4

COMPANIES RUSH TO BRAND POT PRODUCTS WHILE MARKETING RULES REMAIN IN LIMBO

Would you like to indulge in an exhilarating burst of energy and
creativity while enjoying an uplifting experience?

That may be in store for medical marijuana users purchasing a new
strain created in conjunction with Tokyo Smoke, according to the
Canadian "lifestyle" company that unveiled the product on Thursday.

It's also perhaps a peek into the future as cannabis companies
scramble to create brands that will be attractive to millions of
potential customers when recreational pot is legal.

Tokyo Smoke, which sells cannabis accessories, coffee and clothing,
has teamed up with Aphria, one of the country's largest medical
marijuana growers, on four new strains of marijuana.

Tokyo Smoke products are all "thematically linked to four emotive
states" dubbed Go, Relax, Relief and Balance.

The marijuana strains are called G, Rx, Rf and B, and contain varying
amounts of THC and CBD, major chemical components of cannabis.

The "beautiful cannabis experience" offered by the Tokyo Smoke-branded
marijuanacomes in an introductory kit that sells for $250. It includes
a five-gram sample of each of the strains, "custom crafted black jars"
and "welcome accessories."

For $500, customers can buy a kit that also includes a limited
edition, Tokyo Smoke PAX 3 portable vaporizer. The PAX vaporizer
company also has partnerships with musician The Weeknd and Odin, a hip
menswear shop in New York.

"Contemporary customers deserve to have a cannabis experience that
aligns with the rest of their lifestyle," said Alan Gertner, CEO of
Tokyo Smoke, in a press release.

Connecting products with a desirable lifestyle is nothing new: it
sells everything from coffee to cars.

But as Canada moves to legalize recreational pot, the rules that will
govern advertising are in flux.

The federal government's cannabis bill now before Parliament bans
advertising that includes cartoon characters, testimonials and
endorsements, is appealing to young people or associates cannabis with
a lifestyle that includes "glamour, recreation, excitement, vitality,
risk or daring."

More details will be spelled out in regulations.

In the meantime, cannabis companies are trying to create brands that
will help them carve a place in the market.

And they are lobbying for advertising rules similar to those governing
alcohol rather than the heavy restrictions imposed on tobacco products.

"It will be interesting to see how it plays out," says Ottawa lawyer
Trina Fraser, a specialist in cannabis law.

"The industry is going wild right now over branding."

Health advocates and the federal government's task force of experts
that studied legalization recommended strict controls on advertising
and plain packaging to discourage consumption of marijuana.

Cannabis producers say they need branding to lure customers away from
black-market pot.

Under the current rules, medical growers are not supposed to promote
their products or make medical claims about them.

But Health Canada has allowed companies to name products, similar to
the "branding " by Tokyo Smoke, says Fraser.

And there is a difference between naming a strain using a generic word
like Relax and claiming that the product will cure anxiety, she notes.

"(Health Canada) will have to give some guidance at some point. Until
they say 'no, you can't do that,' the industry will continue to push
the limits and test the boundaries."
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MAP posted-by: Matt