GET TO KNOW YOUR BUD BRANDS.
Canadians who have followed the rapid growth of the cannabis industry are by now familiar with the names Canopy, Aurora and Aphria.
But if they tried to buy pot on Wednesday, they likely ran into a host of unfamiliar brand and strain names as well, from Solei and Liiv to Delahaze and even, yes, Boaty McBoatface.
To make matters more complicated, strict packaging and labelling regulations mean that almost every cannabis product looks the same — plain coloured packages, a prominent red symbol warning consumers of THC content and a bright yellow label with one of six health warnings. The only differentiating factor is the brand logo, which cannot exceed the size of the THC warning symbol.
In order to clear the haze, here’s a quick breakdown of the most prominent brands.
The brand: Tweed
The company: Canopy
Growth Corp.
The products: Tweed is probably the most popular recreational brand in Canada, and offers 10 different strains of weed including Argyle, Boaty McBoatface and Herringbone.
The brand: Solei
The company: Aphria Inc. The products: Solei was launched by Leamington, Ont.-based Aphria in April, and has developed six different strains so far — Renew, Unplug, Free, Balance, Sense and Gather. The brand: Liiv
The company: CannTrust
The products: Liiv has six different strains of cannabis: Bali Kush, Kinky Kush and Buddha Haze are just some of Liiv’s dried flower strains available on the market.
The brand: Redecan
The company: RedeCan Pharm
The products: This relatively unknown producer has been supplying the medical market for a couple of years now. It has 11 indica and hybrid strains available at the Ontario Cannabis Store that go by names like White Shark and Bubba Erkle Cookies.
The brand: San Rafael ’71 The company: MedReleaf (owned by Aurora)
The products: Canadians might be somewhat familiar with this brand because of clever marketing in the leadup to legalization, including a pop-up shop selling San Rafael ’71 beer in Toronto. It is unclear how many products the brand plans to develop, but for now, three are available on the market: Tangerine Dream, Pink Kush, and Delahaze.
The brand: Edison
The company: Edison Cannabis Co., a subsidiary of OrganiGram Holdings
The products: Edison is New Brunswick-based Organigram’s recreational brand, and sells five different strains: Casa Blanca, La Strada, City Lights, Rio Bravo, Casablanca Reserve.
The brand: UP
The company: UP Cannabis, owned by Newstrike Resources The products: This brand has some recognition among Canadians mostly because of its affiliation with the Tragically Hip — the band is part owner of UP. There are four strains include Moon, Gems, 50 and Meridien.
The brand: Symbl
The company: Emblem Cannabis
The products: Emblem is a smaller licensed producer based in Paris, Ont., that has already been supplying the medical market. Symbl is Emblem’s first adult-use brand, and has so far developed seven strains, including Dreamweaver, Solar Power and Super Sonic, all currently on the market.
The brand: Alta Vie
The company: Aurora Cannabis
The products: Aurora owns two adult-use brands — San Rafael, by proxy of MedReleaf, and Alta Vie, which so far has developed five strains, including North Star, Airplane Mode, Campfire and Cabaret, all of which are on the market.
The brand: Saturday
The company: Starseed Holdings Inc.
The products: A largely unknown company, Starseed Holdings is the recreational side of Starseed Medical Inc., a private company backed by the Labourers International Union of North America (LIUNA). Starseed Holdings has one adult-use brand called Saturday available in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, with three strains so far: CBD Medi Haze, Jack Herer and Hindu Kush.