Pineapple Express star Seth Rogen and screenwriter Evan Goldberg have teamed up with Canopy Growth Corp. to launch a Toronto-based Canadian cannabis brand called Houseplant.

The Vancouver-born actor and the Canadian screenwriter with whom Rogen collaborated on the stoner film co-founded the Toronto-based company along with sa国际传媒渙ther great friends and colleagues.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淲e have been working on this quietly for years and seeing everything come together is a dream come true,sa国际传媒� Rogen said in an emailed statement.

sa国际传媒淲e could not be more passionate about this company and are dedicated to doing everything the right way. It is extremely important to us to treat cannabis with the reverence it deserves. What a tiame!sa国际传媒�

Houseplant said Canopy acquired 25 per cent of the business, and invested working capital, but would not disclose any further financial information.

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Rogen and Goldberg are the business leads of the company, while Canopy in its role as venture partner is providing the facilities, expertise and infrastructure to grow cannabis.

sa国际传媒淲e have been getting to know the Houseplant team for quite a while now and continue to be impressed by their understanding of the cannabis consumer, attention to detail, and drive towards their vision,sa国际传媒� Canopy president and co-chief executive Mark Zekulin said in a statement.

Rogen, who has also portrayed pothead characters in films such as Knocked Up and the 40-Year-Old-Virgin, is not the first celebrity associated with cannabis to dabble in the pot industry.

Tommy Chong, one half of the Cheech & Chong comedy duo, has a line of medicinal cannabis products called Chongsa国际传媒檚 Choice, available in certain states where legal. In late 2017, director and actor Kevin Smith and actor Jason Mewes sa国际传媒� better known as their stoner movie characters Jay and Silent Bob sa国际传媒� entered into a brand licensing agreement with Hamilton, Ont.-based cannabis company Beleave Inc. to develop strains. And in 2016, rapper Snoop Dogg struck a deal with Canopy to grant the licensed producer the exclusive right to use certain content and brands such as Leafs By Snoop.

However, since Canada legalized recreational cannabis last October, these companies are subject to strict rules governing promotion of the products. The Cannabis Act prohibits the promotion of cannabis, cannabis accessories or any service related to cannabis by means of a testimonial or endorsement or by means of the depiction of a person, character or animal, whether real or fictional. It is also prohibited to present cannabis or any of its brand elements in a manner that sa国际传媒渆vokes a positive or negative emotionsa国际传媒� about a sa国际传媒渨ay of life such as one that includes glamour, recreation, excitement, vitality, risk or daring.sa国际传媒�

Any promotion that could be seen as appealing to young people is also forbidden.

Houseplant noted that Rogen and Goldberg are not paid spokespeople, but founders and business owners who have been involved in its strategic development and decision making since the beginning.

sa国际传媒淪ince inception the Houseplant team has maintained a strong focus on abiding by the regulations which is why, not due to a lack of opportunity both pre and post legalization, Seth and Evan have not participated in any cannabis related event or promotion in Canada,sa国际传媒� the company said in an emailed statement.

sa国际传媒淭hey are founders and owners, not spokespeople for the brand and have been very careful not to confuse that.sa国际传媒�

Houseplantsa国际传媒檚 team in Toronto consists of a chief commercial officer and marketing manager while its strains will be grown at Canopysa国际传媒檚 facilities in Smiths Falls, Ont., she added.

The first strain Houseplant Sativa will be on sale at legal retailers in B.C. starting next month, with hybrid and indica strains to follow. The company said pre-rolled joints and softgel products will also follow later in the year as the brand rolls out across Canada.

Houseplant said it does not have any current plans to launch in the U.S. sa国际传媒� where cannabis is legal for medical and recreational purposes in several states but is illegal federally sa国际传媒� but both its partner and the company have sa国际传媒済lobal aspirations.sa国际传媒�

The company said there are no current plans for any products branded with Pineapple Express.

Rogen and Goldbergsa国际传媒檚 partners in Houseplant also include the California-based United Talent Agency through its business ventures group.

The pair have spent five years preparing for the launch, said Goldberg.

sa国际传媒淲e are so proud to be launching in Canada, our homesa国际传媒� Wesa国际传媒檙e excited to be able to share our passion for cannabis with Canadians in this way,sa国际传媒� he said in a statement.

Armina Ligaya, The Canadian Press

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