Treading carefully at music festivals

Beyond the beer tents and poutine trucks at this month’s Field Trip music festival in Toronto, concertgoers got a taste of what many cannabis brands hope is a step towards the future of live music sponsorship.

A fair distance from the event’s stages, representatives for licensed producer Tweed Inc. were prepared to talk everything pot and pending legalization in Canada. They handed out free swag and plugged a contest for tickets to see Imagine Dragons in concert. Behind them, a social media photo opportunity drew adults and children to pose with a giant sign carrying an ambiguously suitable greeting: “Hi.”

It wasn’t the loudest way for Tweed to declare its ambitions of becoming one of the country’s biggest weed players, but as legalization nears, most cannabis companies don’t want to rock the boat with the government. Only a few have signed major sponsorship deals.

Federal marketing laws are still hazy under Bill C-45, the proposed Cannabis Act, and that has many weed companies playing it safe during this year’s festival season, to the disappointment of event organizers.

“Music festivals are anxious to tap into that money,” said Neill Dixon, founder of the O’cannabiz Conference and Expo, and head of Canadian Music Week in Toronto. “Everybody is just being super cautious right now ... There’s a lot of confusion in the marketplace.”

Getting clear answers from Ottawa could take time.

The House of Commons this week rejected a number of amendments proposed by the Senate, sending the revised bill back to the upper chamber. If and when the law is ultimately passed, it is still expected to take months before recreational marijuana hits the shelves.

Before that happens, there are questions around what’s permissible for cannabis “sponsorships,” as outlined in the drafted bill.

“I think all of us in the cannabis industry have our lawyers on speed dial, because it’s very confusing times,” said Kerri-lynn McAllister, marketing officer at Lift and Co., which hosts industry events and offers cannabis education.

One of the more audacious campaigns comes from Aurora Cannabis, which is “presenting” this year’s North By Northeast festival. The partnership has the company’s name splashed across publicity material and linked to a key venue.

“(There’s) nothing to do with the actual sale or production of cannabis, but it’s more to inform the audience of who we are, what our values are, so they can get familiar with us,” said Shaka Licorish, managing director of Toronto culture at the company.

Other cannabis producers have been more subtle.

Earlier this year, Amsterdam Brewery signed an agreement with cannabis maker Medreleaf to create a “cannabis-inspired” pale ale called San Rafael '71.