Vancouver jazz festival organizers are weeding through some trouble after Health Canada said they must remove advertisements for local marijuana dispensaries, or face some hefty penalties.
"Marijuana advertising is illegal…by any means whatever for the purpose of promoting or directly or indirectly its sale," said senior media relations for Health Canada, Sean Upton in a statement.
The TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival's executive director, Mike Forrester, said the ads were pulled after Health Canada reached out.
"As soon as I was notified of what the issue was with those ads, we acted right away and removed them from all our digital and online platforms," Forrester told CTV Vancouver.
But the festival has already distributed copies of their 30th anniversary event program, which contains four advertisements for local cannabis dispensaries. Forrester said, beyond limiting further distribution, there isn't much he can do about the programs that are already out there.
Upton told CTV News that any business that promotes marijuana sales can face a maximum penalty of $5 million, two years in prison, or both under Canada's Food and Drugs Act and Narcotic Control Regulations.
Since 2010, the number of marijuana dispensaries in the city has increased tenfold, jumping from 9 shops to 98 in 2015.
Pamela McColl, of marijuana prohibition group Smart Approaches to Marijuana Canada, says she hopes that Health Canadacontinues to crack down and stop this growing trend.
"You can't aid or abet. You can't facilitate crime," McColl said, "and you sure can't profit from it."
With files from CTV Vancouver
