Great post fourthjohn. as far as myself I think the leaf looks great but when I have it in the house or the car I find my self usually covering the leaf with my hand so the kids and wife don't remind me "hey dad is that a marijuana leaf on you energy drink"
My marketing knowledge is limited. However, I do think IMO that if they are changing the can to appeal to retail or retail distributors then maybe THCZ has already had that discussion with larger retailers. Maybe they were told that if they change the leaf then carrying the brand is a possibility. Again just total speculation on my part.