Text your customers within British Columbia’s cannabis advertising rules

British Columbia has legal adult-use cannabis, with mixed retail

Retail licensing and advertising rules are enforced by the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB).

• Retail model: the government may operate public stores and an online system alongside licensed private retail stores (Cannabis Distribution Act, S.B.C. 2018, c. 28, s.5(1)(b)).

These British Columbia rules bear on texting customers

• Loyalty programs of any kind are not permitted (LCRB Cannabis Retail Store Licence Handbook, s.4.4.20).
• Rewarding repeat business is treated as a loyalty program; free membership programs that notify members of offers available to all patrons are not, if membership is not conditional on a transaction (LCRB Cannabis Retail Store Licence Handbook, Part 4 Division 4, Information (re s.4.4.20)).
• Membership programs may not charge a fee, require a transaction or offer exclusive discounts (LCRB Policy Directive 22-12 (August 2, 2022)).
• Discounts based on purchases in another business, and third-party internet group discount promotions, are not permitted (LCRB Cannabis Retail Store Licence Handbook, ss.4.7.4 and 4.7.5).
• Sales strategies likely to encourage excessive, irresponsible or dangerous use are prohibited (Cannabis Licensing Regulation, B.C. Reg. 202/2018, s.25).
• Advertising and branding may not contain language that encourages intoxication (LCRB Cannabis Retail Store Licence Handbook, s.5.1.4).

Federal law applies in British Columbia too

The Cannabis Act and Canada’s anti-spam law (CASL) apply across Canada. Our guide to texting cannabis customers under CASL and the Cannabis Act covers consent and unsubscribe step by step.

The Cannabis Act allows factual texts to a named adult

• The Cannabis Act prohibits promoting cannabis, cannabis accessories and related services unless the Act authorizes it, and communicating price or distribution information is listed as a form of promotion (Cannabis Act, s.17(1)(a)).
• A person authorized to sell cannabis may use informational or brand-preference promotion in a communication addressed and sent to a named individual who is 18 or older (Cannabis Act, s.17(2)(a)).
• Informational promotion is defined as factual information, including the availability or price of cannabis (Cannabis Act, s.2(1), definition of informational promotion).
• Brand-preference promotion is defined as promotion by means of brand characteristics (Cannabis Act, s.2(1), definition of brand-preference promotion).
• Section 17(2) also allows informational and brand-preference promotion by telecommunication where reasonable steps keep it from young persons (Cannabis Act, s.17(2)(c)).
• Promotion at the point of sale is limited to availability and price (Cannabis Act, s.17(4)).
• Promotion that is false, misleading or deceptive is prohibited (Cannabis Act, s.18(1)).

The Cannabis Act bans inducements to buy cannabis

• Sellers may not provide or offer cannabis or accessories free of charge or in exchange for a purchase or service (Cannabis Act, s.24(1)(a)).
• Sellers may not offer non-cannabis items, including entry into a game, draw, lottery or contest, as an inducement to buy cannabis (Cannabis Act, s.24(1)(b)).
• Sellers may not offer a service as an inducement to buy cannabis (Cannabis Act, s.24(1)(c)).
• Health Canada guidance says loyalty programs are not inducements on their own, but the benefits offered through them could be (Health Canada, Promotion of cannabis: Prohibitions and permissions in the Cannabis Act and Regulations).
• Health Canada notes that provinces and territories may have additional rules (Health Canada, Promotion of cannabis: Prohibitions and permissions in the Cannabis Act and Regulations).
• Health Canada says sellers cannot give loyalty program members benefits as an inducement to buy cannabis or accessories (Health Canada, Promotion of cannabis: Prohibitions and permissions in the Cannabis Act and Regulations).
• Health Canada says information-only programs, such as mailing lists about upcoming product releases, would generally not be inducements, though other promotion rules still apply (Health Canada, Promotion of cannabis: Prohibitions and permissions in the Cannabis Act and Regulations).
• Health Canada says the seller must make sure a price is not an inducement, and that a very low sale price may be one (Health Canada, Promotion of cannabis: Prohibitions and permissions in the Cannabis Act and Regulations).

CASL requires consent and a working unsubscribe

• CASL prohibits sending a commercial electronic message without the recipient's express or implied consent (Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (S.C. 2010, c. 23), s.6(1)(a)).
• CASL implies consent when the sender has an existing business relationship with the recipient, and a purchase from the sender counts for two years from the day of the purchase (Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.10(9)(a) and s.10(10)(a)).
• An inquiry or application implies consent for only six months (Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.10(10)(e)).
• A request for express consent must state clearly and simply what the consent is for and who is asking for it (Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.10(1)(a) and (b)).
• The CRTC states that express consent is not time-limited and lasts until the recipient says they no longer want messages, while implied consent can expire (CRTC, Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) Guidance on Implied Consent).
• Government of Canada guidance says implied consent is generally time-limited, while express consent has no time limit unless the recipient withdraws it (Government of Canada (ISED), Getting consent to send email).
• The CRTC advises asking for express consent whenever you are unsure whether implied consent applies (CRTC, Frequently Asked Questions about Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation).
• The CRTC states that an abandoned online shopping cart is not a purchase and does not start the two-year implied consent period (CRTC, Frequently Asked Questions about Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation).
• The sender must be able to prove consent, whether express or implied (Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.13).
• A message that solely facilitates, completes or confirms a transaction the recipient already agreed to does not need consent (Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.6(6)(b)).
• A message that asks for consent to send commercial messages is itself a commercial electronic message (Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.1(3)).
• Each commercial electronic message must identify the sender, give contact information and include an unsubscribe mechanism (Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.6(2)(a) to (c)).
• Unsubscribe requests must be given effect without delay and within 10 business days (Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.11(3)).
• The CRTC states that CASL covers SMS and other messaging to mobile phones (CRTC, Frequently Asked Questions about Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation).
• The CRTC states that express consent must be opt-in and cannot be obtained with a pre-checked box (CRTC, Frequently Asked Questions about Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation).
• The CRTC gives texting STOP as an example of an SMS unsubscribe mechanism (CRTC, Frequently Asked Questions about Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation).

Start with consent, your store name and an opt-out line

• Text only people who opted in, and keep the record of when and how they did. Our guide to SMS opt-in and consent for dispensaries covers what to record.
• Put your store name first and an opt-out line on every text.
• Keep product details, prices and offers on an age-gated page rather than in the text, and check the wording against our list of banned words in cannabis texts.

Sticky SMS, by Sticky Cards, the loyalty and marketing platform for cannabis dispensaries, files your Canadian short code with no filing fee, and holds Canadian texts to the same strict content rules as US texts. How British Columbia’s rules apply to your program stays with you and your counsel.

Work with Sticky Cards in British Columbia

• Run a dispensary, CBD or vape shop in British Columbia? Book a demo to see Sticky SMS.
• Run a texting agency in British Columbia? Sticky Cards is looking for expert texting partner agencies in British Columbia. Email support@stickycards.co to talk about working together.