The City Council on Tuesday granted a medical marijuana store a license, despite controversial imagery connected with a product that may be sold at the store that some councilors considered racist.
Charles Crapps, the owner of The Pot Stop at 135 Ocean St., came under fire at a Dec. 14 council meeting for an online image advertising the Cannabis Culture brand on a pickup truck.
“Last time when we talked about this, we had asked about the vehicles being used,” Councilor Jocelyn Leighton said. “The answer that we got was that it wasn’t affiliated with the business except that a business owner owned it. So, I just want to know what that means.”
The logo prominently featured caricatures of people of color smoking weed, including a Hispanic man wearing a sombrero and an Asian man wearing a conical hat, also called a “rice hat.”
“I am not a business plan,” said Pedro Vazquez, a District 3 representative on South Portland’s human rights commission. “A caricature of my culture, of my community, is not a business plan. Particularly, in a business where people of color are essentially cut out. The business plan and this branding is absolutely racist.”
Crapps asserted that the truck belonged to his fiancé, and was in no way was affiliated with the business. He also made it clear that The Pot Stop’s logo is a stop sign with a pot leaf and that Cannabis Culture is a separate entity.
“Cannabis Culture in Maine is just a brand that will possibly be in the Pot Stop,” Crapps said.
The logo was also found on the store’s website and has since been removed. The homepage states: “The Pot Stop, affiliated with Cannabis Culture Company is a Medical Retail store location in the wonderful historic and currently being revived Knightville area by Casco Bay Bridge.”
Crapps feels that he and his business are suffering as a result of the debate Dec. 14.
“My character was assassinated and I wasn’t even present,” he said. “My legal counsel was there.”
Seth Russel, representing Crapps, talked of his client’s continued support of the NAACP, his work with a charity group to help underprivileged children and helping “open up public discussions with minority members on how to start a business.”
Russel also argued that the council had no grounds to deny Crapps the license.
“Last week, we got derailed discussing matters that do not apply to this business license,” Russel said.
The council members said they didn’t attack Crapps’ character and that they only took issue with his business model.
“I don’t think we owe him an apology,” said Councilor Misha Pride. “I think the branding needed to be discussed, called out for what it is. I agree with Mr. Vazquez wholeheartedly that it was racist.”
Then council voted unanimously to grant the license, with Councilor Katelyn Bruzgo not present.
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