Hey Justin,

We’ve been listening to your new album, and we tend to agree: Georgia’s got some of the best peaches. No doubt. ‍

But respectfully, line two of “Peaches” is where we disagree.

See, like you, we’re big fans of cannabis. We treat it like it’s our job. Because, well, it is. We’re Flowr, one of Canada’s leading licensed producers. We grow award-winning strains in the heartland of top-tier cannabis production: Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. So when we heard you, a homegrown, household-name, card-carrying Canadian superstar, say he gets his weed from California… Honestly, that was tough to hear.

But we thought, “Wait. Let’s give this man a chance.” This is a good moment to talk about something that’s been on our minds recently.

‍You see, we’re really proud of the cannabis we grow up in Kelowna. And we’re even more proud that Canada led the way globally in recreational legalization and regulation. But there’s something else we’re absolutely ashamed of.

‍When New York legalized recreational cannabis a few weeks ago, it decided to automatically erase or expunge countless former cannabis convictions. They did this to try to address the generational devastation that cannabis prohibition has caused.

‍When we heard that, we were thrilled. It is, for sure, the right move. But it was also a poignant reminder of just how poorly Canada has treated the same issue.

Cannabis has been legal here since October 2018, but Canada still requires every convicted person to actively seek a cannabis pardon to restore some of the most basic rights. Simple things, like one’s professional reputation, familial rights and freedom to travel are stripped away and replaced with shame and the inability to live life as freely as people who do use cannabis in the exact same ways. The only difference? Now it’s technically legal.

Knowing that, we can almost understand why you’d prefer to get your weed in California.

‍Justin, this issue is frustrating, and the hypocrisy of the Canadian legislation is infuriating. We need pressure to convince the Canadian government that sweeping pardons are the only just solution. We can’t do it alone, but we can make a start.

So we’re putting up $100,000 of our organization’s money and an additional $100,000 from our directors, officers and employees to support Pardons Canada. Pardons Canada is a non-profit that helps those with cannabis convictions petition the government to have their criminal record pardoned. We’re on a mission to help every Canadian with a cannabis conviction erase that past and get on with their life.

‍Our donation will help more than 100 Canadians remove the shackles of their past conviction. Now 100 is a nice number, but it’s only a drop in the bucket. So we’re asking everyone, especially folks like yourself with influence, to raise their voice and let Canada know that cannabis won’t be truly legal until every single one of us is free from past convictions.

‍If you’re as passionate about this cause as we are, you can use your voice to show support and sign the petition requesting the Canadian government expunge non-violent cannabis convictions by visiting flowerpardons.com. We, and everyone affected by this injustice, would really appreciate it, and please consider contacting Pardons Canada to get involved.

‍Thank you for your time, Justin. We’re big fans and we’ll keep singing along to the songs on “Justice,” even if we may do a little rewrite on the lyrics of “Peaches.”

Tom Flow

Co-Founder

The Flowr Corporation

This story was provided by The Flowr Corporation for commercial purposes.