Due to coronavirus panic buys, toilet paper shortages are being reported across North America. While retailers try to put limits on the number of packages its customers can buy, one enterprising Canadian cannabis company is taking advantage of the situation for a noble purpose.

TVAPE, an Ontario-based retailer of cannabis vaporizers, is promising to ship coveted stock to nearby locations. But all is not exactly as it seems. Originally listed at a steep $130 per roll (a supposedly marked down rate from a previous listing of $270), the product is now “out of stock.”

It turns out that TVAPE isn’t actually selling toilet paper. Instead, the company is using the hysteria surrounding stockpiling essential supplies to raise awareness of Covid-19.

TVAPE’s CEO Nima Noori’s father, who suffers from a pre-existing lung condition, is currently in a self-imposed quarantine in Iran. According to Tim Peters, a spokesperson for TVAPE, “This emotional exposure and (Noori’s) observation that he couldn’t even buy toilet paper in a country as relatively safe as Canada, sparked his innate need to be proactive.”

In this undated photo, TVAPE’s CEO Nima Noori with his father, Parviz Noori.

With information overload, especially online, it can be a challenge to find reliable sources. “So, we thought that we could generate a great deal of awareness to the link that the World Health Organization posted to point people towards correct information. The link will also further benefit that page in ranking higher in search engines like Google,” says Peters.

The campaign so far has received positive reactions online. “This is a hilarious idea. I am literally in awe that they had the balls to do that. If you go to the product page, they are actually trying to create awareness. It’s for the people that are buying all masks and stuff that nurses need to calm down,” writes Reddit user Llindler.

“It’s something I’ve seen in Australia, like ‘toilet paper $9,999, free 2karat ring’… I think it started more as a joke than a marketing thing, but then it became a meme and now they are probably bringing in more revenue because of it,” commented Reddit user madsmadhatter.

As seen on the company website, TVAPE.

With the crisis hitting up close and personal, the company is heavily invested in creating awareness. According to Peters, “Our CEO cares a great deal, mainly because of the dangerous situation that his elderly father is in. We are monitoring the situation and will not hesitate to help the government and respective organizations spread the message.”

He adds, “People would probably have cared less to click on serious link for ‘information on WHO to stay safe of Covid-19,’ but sometimes a $130 per of toilet paper is needed to creatively spread an important message.”