FREDERICTON – Cannabis NB has removed images of happy, relaxed and focused people from its website just days after Health Canada found its promotional materials to be against the new federal laws on recreational cannabis.

The crown corporation’s promotional materials have raised eyebrows because of the cheerful tone. The website originally had depictions of young people taking a selfie, a woman doing yoga, and a man at work at a desk. It now uses pictures of marijuana plants, food, painting materials, candles and other things.

Last week, Thierry Belair, the press secretary of Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, confirmed the violation to Huddle in an email.

While he didn’t specify which of the promotional materials were against the Cannabis Act, he said the law prohibits promotions that use images of any person, whether real or fictional. It also forbids promotions that link cannabis with a particular way of life like glamour, recreation, excitement or vitality.‎

Cannabis NB divides its products to fit three occasions: discover, connect and refresh. For the connect occasion, the website said, “although many consume cannabis alone, more and more are getting together with friends for different occasions.” The language has not changed but the picture has.

RELATED: Health Canada Says Cannabis NB Promotional Materials Break Law

Marie-Andrée Bolduc, Cannabis NB’s Senior Communications Specialist, said in an e-mail to Huddle the changes were made based on discussions with Health Canada.

“As we stated earlier, we had a productive conversation last week with Health Canada and discussed some questions they had about the website. Health Canada did not give us specific direction on items to change but based on this conversation and discussion, we made adjustments to some images on the website,” she said. “We will be generally reviewing the website and likely be making a few adjustments in the language as well. We are not reviewing any changes beyond those at this time.”

Mark Barbour, the Manager of Communications and Public Relations for NB Liquor and Cannabis NB, said in an e-mail to Huddle last week that the website development started “well in advance of the tabling of the regulatory regime released by the federal government.” He said Cannabis NB was in contact with Health Canada throughout the project.

Cannabis NB also sought and received legal guidance on the interpretation of the Cannabis Act for its website content, he said.

The federal government said it understands that provinces, territories and others in the marijuana industry will likely have to make adjustments to fully comply with the Cannabis Act. But Health Canada will continue to enforce the law and work with counterparts to ensure the Act is clear for all.

Banner image: Cannabis NB website.