When cannabis was legalized in Canada back in 2018, one province dug in its heels.
Mennillo says that when cannabis was legalized in 2018, he wasn’t expecting to have to revaluate Prohibition’s entire inventory and pull products off the shelves.
“Outside of hurting the culture of cannabis itself, I think it’s also stifling the education on cannabis and cannabis consumption,” he says.
Most Canadians would agree that Quebec is among the least cannabis-friendly provinces in the country.
It doesn’t stop there: in most other provinces, residents are able to grow up to four plants at home, but according to the Quebec government, personal cultivation and even the mere possession of a plant are prohibited, despite a ruling by a Quebec court in 2019 that found those laws to be unconstitutional.
“Cannabis might be legal,” Mennillo says, “but 35 years ago when it was illegal, we were selling books and t-shirts.
Mennillo says the regulations are hurting independent retailers in Quebec, and adds that smaller headshops are being hit the hardest, with some struggling to stay open.
“The other day I was in the pharmacy and found a bottle of Old Spice shampoo made with hemp oil, and it had cannabis leaves on it,” he says.
Mennillo’s business partner and the company’s VP of operations Brian Demers has calculated an annual loss of at least $1.5 million, all thanks to the ban on cannabis-themed products.
According to the Toronto Star, lawyer Michael Chevalier argued the ban on the grounds that it is too broad, and that it there is no proof that the blatant inhibition of freedom of expression protects young people from being exposed to cannabis.
My first book, “The Little Book of Cannabis: How Marijuana Can Improve Your Life”, was published by Greystone Books in 2018 on the same day cannabis was legalized here.