Pot names aimed at kids, health critic says

OTTAWA — Scroll through Ontario’s online cannabis shop and you’ll see strains of marijuana called Banana Split and Tangerine Dream.

There are others with the far-out monikers Dreamweaver, Super Sonic and Pink Kush.

The names appear on packages even though the federal Cannabis Act is meant to discourage kids from using pot by prohibiting products that appeal to youth.

The law also forbids packaging or labelling cannabis in a way that is attractive to the demographic.

Thierry Belair, a spokesman for Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, said the department will continue to monitor the market and enforce the rules on a case-by-case basis now that recreational cannabis use is legal.

“The law clearly prohibits promotions that associate cannabis with a particular way of life such as glamour, recreation, excitement or vitality, and that includes cannabis strains descriptions,” said Belair.

The government expects all participants, including provinces, territories and those in the cannabis industry, to follow the law, he added. But the names are not sitting well with Conservative health critic Marilyn Gladu. Gladu says the Liberals need to do more to ensure cannabis products available online are not enticing to kids.

“The sprit of the regulation was that they did not want the packaging in any way to be attractive to young people,” she said.