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Re-permission an old list before you text it

If your list is old, imported or was built without clear text consent, ask before you send anything else. Send one short text that says who you are and asks people to reply to stay on the list, then text only those who confirm. You keep a smaller list that wants to hear from you, and fewer complaints reach carriers.

By Sticky Cards team

Last updated:

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A shopper checks her phone at a dispensary counter while the budtender rings up the order.

A smaller list that said yes is the one to text

Keep only subscribers who agreed to texts. The list gets smaller, and the people left on it want to hear from you, which keeps complaints to carriers down.

This is for stores switching from another platform with uncertain consent records, stores with numbers collected at the counter without text consent, and lists unused for a year or more.

Ask once, then text only the people who reply YES

  1. Check what you have

    Separate numbers with a recorded text opt-in from numbers without one.

  2. Send one confirmation request

    Who you are, what you send, and how to stay on the list.

  3. Keep only the people who reply yes

    Text only the numbers that reply YES. Sticky SMS reads the YES keyword reply, can send an automated reply and can start an automation from it. Anyone who does not reply stays off your sending list.

  4. Rebuild with Text Club

    Grow the list back with a keyword and QR code at the counter.

The request names your store and what you send

Kendall's

Kendall's: we are updating our text list. Reply YES to keep getting store news and new arrivals a few times a month. Reply STOP to opt out.

The confirmation request. Sample text from Kendall’s Cannabis, our sample store. Yours sends under your store’s name.

Kendall's

Kendall's: thanks, you are on the list. We text a few times a month. Msg and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help.

After someone replies yes. Sample text from Kendall’s Cannabis, our sample store. Yours sends under your store’s name.

In Canada, the confirmation request is itself a commercial message. Section 1(3) of CASL says a message that asks for consent to send commercial messages is also a commercial electronic message, so it needs consent too.

A customer who bought from you in the last two years has given implied consent, and that covers the request. For a Canadian list with no consent on record, do not text the request at all. Ask in person or rebuild with Text Club, and ask a lawyer about the old list. Our guide to CASL and cannabis texting in Canada covers the consent rules.

To stay clear, Canadian versions of these texts are store updates with no purchase-linked reward or discount, sent on express consent under Canada’s anti-spam law.

Measure the share who reply yes, then complaints and new sign-ups

  • Share of the list who reply YES.
  • Opt-outs and complaints after the confirmation send.
  • New subscribers from Text Club in the weeks after.

For what counts as consent and what to record, see the opt-in and consent guide and the rest of the Sticky SMS guides for dispensaries.

Build your text program with us

Book a time and we will walk through your list, your POS and the texts you want to send, on a video call with a real person.

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Frequently asked questions

Do I have to re-permission my list when I switch platforms?

Not if you have clear opt-in records. If you do not, confirming consent first is the safer path.

What if most people do not reply?

Then they did not want texts. A smaller list that wants to hear from you does better than a large one that complains.

Can I keep texting people who do not reply?

No. Only text people who confirm.

How do I grow the list back?

With Text Club: a keyword and QR code at the counter, so every visit can become a subscriber.

How does Sticky SMS help rebuild a list?

With Text Club and a registered number. Sticky SMS by Sticky Cards, the loyalty and marketing platform for cannabis dispensaries, lets shoppers join by scanning a QR code that opens a ready-to-send join text, and files your 10DLC registration with no charge for the number or the registration.

Can Sticky SMS read the YES replies?

Yes. Sticky SMS reads keyword replies such as YES, JOIN and STOP, can send an automated reply, and can start an automation from them. Opt-in records migrate with your list, with the time and source of every opt-in.

Sources

  1. CTIA, Messaging Principles and Best Practices (May 2023) (opens in a new tab), accessed October 18, 2026
  2. Cannabis Act (S.C. 2018, c. 16), sections 17 and 24, Justice Laws Website (opens in a new tab), accessed October 18, 2026
  3. Health Canada, Promotion of cannabis: prohibitions and permissions (opens in a new tab), accessed October 18, 2026
  4. CRTC, Frequently asked questions about Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (opens in a new tab), accessed October 18, 2026
  5. Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (S.C. 2010, c. 23), Justice Laws Website (opens in a new tab), accessed October 18, 2026