The City of Leduc is using an illustrated cannabis character to raise attention about cannabis bylaws.
Buddy the “spokesbud” wears an officer’s hat and carries a handy clipboard of rules.
The campaign is meant to get the public’s attention before cannabis is legalized on Oct 17, which is a little over three weeks away.
Leduc is trying to be proactive, so residents are aware of what will and won’t be allowed in city limits once legalization occurs. Buddy was posted to the city’s social media accounts on Wednesday.
“Buddy has drawn a lot of people to our website,” said Bob Young, mayor of Leduc. “Not all of it has been good. Some people have concerns.”
Some people are concerned the cute cartoon look might attract the attention of children. The city said it has no plans to turn Buddy into a mascot.
“They feel like we’re trying to appeal to children,” Young said. “But we’d never, ever be promoting or encouraging cannabis use. What we’re trying to do is draw people to our website to check out our rules for responsible cannabis use.”
A city spokesperson said the post reached close to 21,000 people, which has led to a significant amount of traffic on the page about cannabis bylaws. Close to 30,000 people live in Leduc.
The page views show people are taking a look at the bylaws.
“I think that is successful,” Young said.
Under Leduc bylaws, cannabis use will not be allowed in public, much like alcohol consumption.
That could change in the future, as Young said it’s easier to be more restrictive then loosen the bylaws than to do the opposite.