On June 26, 2006 I ordered custom printed Bic lighters from Gary Austin Advertising for Hemp.Net. The logo contains a small cannabis leaf. Because of this, Bic refused to print my order and Gary Austin was forced to cancel my order. I tried to get more info about why Bic wouldn't print them, and whether they have more info on acceptable and unacceptable artwork, but Mr. Austin didn't know and wasn't interested in pursuing the matter.
I then contacted Sarah at LogoLighters.com, from whom I've ordered non-Bic lighters in the past. I explained my situation -- that Bic had refused my artwork -- and asked her to check into it. She told me that Bic had recently refused an order of hers because it contains nudity, so she wasn't hopeful about my art. She was very helpful and contacted Bic and was told the same thing, that Bic will not print anything with cannabis leaves. She didn't get a real reason from them, other than the idea that they won't print "bad" things. She also noted that the Bic lighters are printed in Canada (a country with legal medical marijuana).
I have created this page to make this policy known. I could not readily find this information on the Bic web site. Perhaps I can save someone from a similar time waste.
I am curious where these pot-leaf Bic lighters were printed:
I'm not really sure what to do about the Bic lighter situation. Assuming I want Bic lighters -- and I kinda do -- I can order blank lighters and wrap them in a vinyl sticker. Or I can research ordering them from China or some place outside the US.
If you have any leads on getting custom printed Bic lighters with a cannabis leaf as part of the artwork, drop me a note at ben at hemp.net.