
The negative cannabis stigma, reinforced by terms like reefer, pot, weed, and grass is still around and has impeded the growth of the cannabis industry. With an estimated 1,000 words for marijuana, Cova believed that it was time for industry professionals to discuss the power of language, so the cannabis retail software company decided to launch the Call it Cannabis campaign. The core of the campaign was the call to action “Call it Cannabis”, a simple phrase meant to spark a discussion about the dire need to break the negative cannabis stigma.
The campaign launched at Cannabis World Congress Business & Expo in New York City on May 31, 2018, and engaged passionate industry professionals from the US and Canada. The response was overwhelmingly positive! The software company received more than 400 t-shirt entries and reached more than 95,000 people on social media and at cannabis industry events combined.
By promoting the hashtag #callitcannabis on social media platforms, it sparked a dialogue and as a result, the hashtag is now used industrywide. Call it Cannabis t-shirt recipients were selected at random and answered the question, “Why do you call it cannabis?”
Professor Dave in Denver said, “I call it cannabis because the “M” word is a derogatory slur created by opposing political and media pundits who sought to destroy this miraculous plant for personal gain. I work directly with cancer patients. I see the amazing ability of this God-given plant every day. I’ll wear this til the sleeves come off!!!”
Campaign partners included Cannabis Compliance Inc., Aura Dispensary, Village Bloomery, GreenRush, Native Roots, Baker Technologies, City Cannabis, CannaReps, and Medicron.