BeatRoute Magazine BC Edition May 2019

That's Dope
THIS
BIG NAME
BACKERS
BEHIND
LEGAL WEED
Big cannabis has paid
celebrities to partner with
their companies, not endorse
them By DAYNA MAHANNAH
C
anadian cannabis laws
may have been loosened
but cannabis marketing
restrictions are super tight.
As the billion dollar
industry explodes across this
country, immense creativity is
being expended to get bud brand
name recognition from companies
desperate to market new products
when any form of advertising and
promotion is basically not allowed.
While celebrity-endorsed cannabis
is illegal in Canada, companies
are finding legal loopholes to work
with big names in other ways.
These entertainers – among others
– have partnered with big canna in
ways not technically involving high
profile endorsement. Whether it’s
through buying shares or holding
executive positions, they’re finding
ways to extend their personal
empires into the green stuff.
The Tragically Hip
“We are happy to announce that
we have become partners with
one of Canada’s newest, soon to
be public, licensed producers of
medicinal marijuana,” said The
Tragically Hip when they announced
their partnership with
Newstrike in 2017. Up Cannabis
Inc. is the product of that partnership,
focusing on uniting quality
adult-use cannabis products with
the power of music. The Tragically
Hip have been longtime supporters
of legalization and hope for this to
extend their advocacy of safe use
through investments and creative
collaboration. Up Cannabis Inc.
strains are grown in Ontario, like
the band, making use of what is
expected to be Canada’s premier
growing region.
Snoop Dogg
It won’t come as a surprise as,
second to Bob Marley, Snoop Dogg
has been the most weed-identified
cannabis advocate of the celebrity
world. The 45-year-old rapper and
entrepreneur brings his line, Leafs By
Snoop, into Canada in partnership
with Tweed. The company offers
three strains in their newfound Canadian
market: Sunset, Ocean View,
and Palm Tree CBD. Expanding into
the tech side of the industry, he has
recently invested a reported $2-million
USD into Trellis, a Toronto-based
software company that provides
management tools for businesses in
the cannabis industry.
MONTH
IN CANNABIS NEWS
AND VIEWS
Martha Stewart
America’s favourite lifestyle
authority and convicted felon,
Martha Stewart, announced her
partnership with Canopy Growth
in February. It may not surprise
those familiar with her close
relationship with canna-preneur
Snoop Dogg but it’s a big leap
from her gingham and good times
image. Her collaboration with
Canopy includes the Sequential
Brand Group, a cannabis themed
fashion and lifestyle brand. We
can expect to see developments
this summer, like expansion into
hemp-derived CBD products
for animals as well as cannabis
research.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: BEATROUTE
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg and
award-winning edibles maker
Maya Elisabeth launched
Whoopi & Maya in 2016. As one
of the fastest growing cannabis
companies in California, the dynamic
duo have expanded from
their initial offering of medical
cannabis products, formulated to
provide relief for women experiencing
menstrual cramps, into a
dynamic line including tinctures,
bath soaks, body balms and
edibles.
Seth Rogen
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s
new Cannabis line, Houseplant,
launched in March 2019. The
recreational cannabis company
made its debut alongside
Canopy Growth. Rogen and
Goldbergs’s company partners
include the California-based
United Talent Agency. The
company has somehow found
a way to get around Canada’s
strict packaging laws, with its
fiesta orange packaging, which
fits perfectly with the company’s
retro branding.
Gene Simmons
It may not contain pyrotechnics,
facepaint, or platform boots, but
Invictus does have the rock and
roll power of Gene Simmons.
Known for living a sober life, Simmons
is taking a less hands-onproduct
role as “chief evangelist,”
leaving the cannabis logistics
to other members of his team.
The company, which operates
cannabis businesses in Canada,
has Simmons responsible for
“providing marketing counsel,
serving as a spokesperson in the
media, public appearances and
participation in the company’s
annual general meeting and
investor meetings.”
Ghostface Killah
Dennis Coles (aka Ghostface
Killah) of the Wu-Tang Clan
and founder of the record label
Starks Enterprises, launched
Wu-Goo alongside Killa Priest.
The brand features a 70 per cent
THC hash oil and was released in
alliance with vape pen company
Dynamite Stix. Other products
include vape cartridges, disposable
pens, pre-rolled joints and
edibles. ,
MAY 2019 BEATROUTE 9