The Canadian government is not appreciative of the artistic outer appearance a small-town Ontario cannabis dispensary currently has.
Owners at Treetz Cannabis in Collingwood received an email from Health Canada this month demanding that the store remove a mural it had painted by an artist in 2023. The department says the cartoonish characters on the pot shop’s walls are too appealing to youth.
Store manager Jordan Wannamaker informed local news outlet Simcoe.com about the development last week. He says him and the crew are disappointed considering the amount of work that went into the large-scale painting, but they will have to comply.
“They don’t like the cartoon images,” he told the publication.
In a statement shared to social media on Jun. 19, Treetz stated that it is currently in discussions with another artist about an aesthetically appealing re-painting that will adhere to Health Canada’s guidelines.
“It’s unfortunate that restrictions regarding cannabis is much more strict than alcohol but we have to abide by the rules,” the cannabis store explained.
In a Facebook post, one local claimed that Treetz was slapped with a “hefty fine” as well, though that has not been verified by store officials. “Lmao that building looked like a crack house before Treetz bought the place” wrote another from the dissenting social media mob in the comments section.
This case appears to be the first of its kind since Canada legalised recreational marijuana in 2018. A direct order from Health Canada of this variety has never been received by a cannabis shop in the country before.
However, it does bear similarity to an incident in Ontario last year. In September, the City of London painted over a promotional sign/mural for Your Highness Cannabis following a local councillor’s campaign.
These cases highlight different levels of government intervention against cannabis-related exterior art in Canada. While both involved covering up eye-catching exterior artwork tied to sales of an adults-only substance, the Collingwood case represents direct federal enforcement of advertising restrictions whereas London’s was a more localised dispute.
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