Ontario cannabis users might not be able to smoke a joint with Seth Rogen—but they’ll now be able to smoke his weed.
Houseplant, the cannabis supplier founded by Vancouver-born actor Seth Rogen and fellow screenwriter Even Goldberg, will be bringing its unique brand of marijuana products to Ontario this summer, the company announced Tuesday. Currently, Houseplant products are only available in the two comedy film mogul’s home province of B.C.
The company’s cannabis is supplied by Canadian industry giant Canopy Growth Corp. (TSX:WEED, NYSE:CGC), and its trademark Houseplant Sativa brand will be available in Ontario regulated retail stores and online this summer.
“It’s thrilling to be able to grow our company and give those in Ontario access to products that we are so proud of,” said Rogen in a statement.
Houseplant said on its website it plans to keep expanding nationally and to check its social media often for updates.
“We can’t wait to continue sharing something that’s so special to us with more and more people as we expand across Canada,” Rogen said.
The Toronto-based company also announced via Instagram it will be launching new strains call Houseplant Hybrid and Houseplant Indica, as well as pre-rolled joints and soft gels throughout the year.
“Early on we made the decision to proceed with measured growth to make sure we don’t compromise the quality of our product or disappoint our customers,” Goldberg said in the release. “Ontario is an exciting next step for us.”
Houseplant’s star power, distinct brand stand out amid strict regulations
Ontario-based Canopy, which acquired 25 per cent of Houseplant, has already made celebrity partnerships with TV personality Martha Stewart to produce CBD wellness products, and with rapper Snoop Dogg to sell a variety of cannabis products through its subsidiary Tweed.
(@Housplant Instagram)
But since the Canadian government has created heavy restrictions that prevent cannabis companies to use celebrity endorsements, Canopy has been careful to keep Rogen and its superstars from direct promotion of cannabis-related events.
And since Rogen and Goldberg founded Houseplant, the two have remained as business heads and have exercised caution in either presenting themselves as a spokesperson for the brand.
Houseplant has also created a distinct retro brand to differentiate itself and counter Canada’s strict packaging regulations, with weed products coming in VHS-style and vinyl record packaging curated differently for each strain.
Goldberg and Rogen’s company also wants to focus on educating users from novice to expert on consuming cannabis safely and offer 70s-era infomercial-style video posts to do so.
Houseplant also said as it continues to grow, “so will its plans to contribute to the expungement of criminal records and the employment of those unjustly targeted and incarcerated worldwide for non-violent cannabis crimes.”
