Cannabis branding in Canada: what the Cannabis Act leaves a brand to work with
The direct answer
Under section 17 of Canada's Cannabis Act, cannabis may be promoted only in limited ways. Promotion is prohibited where it could appeal to young persons, uses a testimonial or endorsement, depicts a person, character or animal, real or fictional, or associates a brand element with a way of life such as one including glamour, recreation, excitement, vitality, risk or daring. Informational and brand preference promotion is allowed when addressed to a named adult, in a place young persons are barred from by law, or online with reasonable steps to keep young persons out. Under the Cannabis Regulations, a label may include a brand name and only one other brand element; an image must be no larger than the standardized cannabis symbol, and metallic and fluorescent colours are out. Since amendments in March 2025, a container and its lid may differ in colour, cut out windows are allowed for dried or fresh cannabis and seeds, and QR codes may appear on any container.
Five conclusions
The argument, compressed.
- Promotion may use no testimonials, no people, characters or animals, no youth appeal and no lifestyle associations.
- Brand promotion is allowed to named adults, in adult only places, and online behind reasonable age controls.
- A label carries the brand name plus only one other brand element; an image may be no larger than the standardized cannabis symbol.
- No metallic or fluorescent colours, no embossing, no scent or sound from the package.
- Since March 2025: lids may differ in colour, windows are allowed for dried or fresh cannabis and seeds, and QR codes are allowed on any container.
Working framework · 5 decisions
The cannabis brand kit check
Five decisions that define a cannabis brand under Canadian law. Confirm each against the current Act, Regulations and Health Canada's packaging guide, with regulatory counsel for anything new.
Decision 01 / 05
Name
Choose a brand name with no youth appeal and no lifestyle promise. It will do most of the brand's work, at a type size capped by the health warning.
What promotion the Act allows
Section 17 of the Cannabis Act starts from a prohibition. It is prohibited to promote cannabis, accessories or related services in a manner that could be appealing to young persons, by means of a testimonial or endorsement however displayed, by depicting a person, character or animal, real or fictional, or by presenting a brand element in a way that associates it with a way of life such as one that includes glamour, recreation, excitement, vitality, risk or daring.
The Act then opens narrow routes for informational and brand preference promotion: in a communication addressed and sent to an individual who is 18 or older and identified by name, in a place where young persons are barred by law, or by telecommunication where reasonable steps keep young persons from accessing it. Point of sale promotion may indicate only availability and price.
Sponsorship is closed. Brand elements and the names of producers or sellers are barred from sponsorships of a person, entity, event, activity or facility, and from the names of sports or cultural facilities.
Packaging and labels
The Cannabis Regulations set what amounts to plain packaging. The interior, exterior and panel of a container must be one uniform colour, with no metallic or fluorescent colour, a smooth texture without embossing, and no scent or sound. The standardized cannabis symbol sits in the upper left quarter of the principal display panel, alongside mandatory health warnings.
Brand space is small and precisely defined. Section 130 allows the brand name, at a type size no larger than the health warning, and only one brand element other than the brand name. If that element is an image, it must be no larger than the standardized cannabis symbol where the symbol is required. One logo or one slogan, shown once.
The whole identity
A name, one more element, one colour. Every cannabis brand in Canada is built from those three choices.
What changed in March 2025
Amendments registered in February 2025 and published on 12 March 2025 loosened several packaging rules. The container and its lid or cap may now differ in colour. Cut out windows are permitted for dried cannabis, fresh cannabis and cannabis plant seeds. QR codes may appear on any container, and peel back labels are available on all package sizes.
Many vendor guides still say packages must be a single colour throughout and may have no window. The current consolidated Regulations, last amended in June 2026, say otherwise, so check dates on any guidance you rely on.
Building a brand under plain packaging
Plain packaging concentrates everything into naming and consistency. With one extra element and one colour, a distinctive name and a disciplined colour choice do the work that photography and lifestyle do in other categories. A shopper scanning a retailer's menu sees the name first and often only the name.
The second lever is the permitted channels. An age gated website and a QR code on the pack can carry the full story: where the product is grown, how it is cured, who grows it. That is informational promotion to adults who chose to look, which is the route the Act leaves open.
Brand elements may also appear on merchandise, within size limits in the Regulations and never on items associated with young persons or with the lifestyle themes the Act lists.
Before you use it
Questions that can change the recommendation.
Can a cannabis brand use a logo on its packaging in Canada?
Yes, within limits. The Cannabis Regulations allow the brand name plus only one other brand element on a label. An image must be no larger than the standardized cannabis symbol where that symbol is required.
Can cannabis ads in Canada show people or use testimonials?
Section 17 of the Cannabis Act prohibits promotion by testimonial or endorsement and by depicting a person, character or animal, real or fictional.
Can cannabis packaging have more than one colour?
The container's surfaces must be one uniform colour without metallic or fluorescent finishes, but since the March 2025 amendments the lid or cap may be a different colour from the container.
Are QR codes allowed on cannabis packaging in Canada?
Yes. The March 2025 amendments allow QR codes on any container.
Where can a cannabis brand advertise in Canada?
Informational or brand preference promotion is allowed in communications addressed to a named adult, in places young persons are barred from by law, and online where reasonable steps keep young persons from accessing it.
Research record
What this guide draws from.
Each source note describes what the reference supports. Platform guidance, research findings and Branding Tatva's practical suggestions have different scopes.
- Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Concerning Cannabis (Streamlining of Requirements)
Canada Gazette, Part II
Published 12 March 2025.
- Packaging and labelling guide for cannabis products
Health Canada
