Twitter Allowing Cannabis Brands to Advertise: A Step Toward Growing Acceptance
Twitter is allowing cannabis brands to advertise, breaking with other social media platforms. The Elon Musk-owned company announced on February 7th, 2021 that it had updated its cannabis policy to permit approved cannabis and CBD advertisers to run ads in the United States, subject to restrictions, including pre-authorization by Twitter. The policy allows approved cannabis advertisers to target users in areas of Canada and the US where marijuana is legalized and can only promote “informational or brand-preference content”.[0] US advertisers cannot show people using cannabis products or people under the influence of cannabis, and they are also prohibited from encouraging users to cross state lines or making misleading or false claims, including about marijuana health benefits.[1]
Twitter requires any state-legal cannabis companies that want to advertise their THC- and CBD-containing products, as well as related accessories and services, to get pre-authorized first. Advertising for cannabis and cannabis-related products is not allowed, apart from topically-applied, hemp-derived CBD products with THC levels of no more than 0.3%.[0]
AdCann, a cannabis marketing and advertising website, first reported the news of Twitter's policy change, which sets the company apart from other advertising giants like Meta and Google. Meta bans both CBD and THC ads, while Google allows some CBD ads but bans marijuana ads, including instructional content.
In December 2022, the President granted a half dozen additional pardons, including for a handful of people with marijuana or other drug convictions on their records. On October 6th, 2022, the President announced the issuance of marijuana-specific pardons as part of a widely supported set of actions recognizing the folly of federal cannabis prohibition. Thousands of people with federal criminal records for simple possession of marijuana are eligible for a pardon that would help them obtain employment, housing, education, and more.[2]
The Minnesota House Education Finance Committee is the ninth panel to approve a bill that would legalize recreational cannabis, with the products having child-proof packaging and labels, and Poison Control contact information.[3] The bill also provides expungement of minor marijuana convictions and announced that Bryan had pardoned all criminal convictions for simple possession of marijuana.[4]
Twitter’s new policy is a major step for the social media platform, and a sign of the growing acceptance of cannabis as a legitimate industry.[5]
0. “Twitter greenlights ads for cannabis, THC brands – News” www.mmm-online.com, 19 Feb. 2023, https://www.mmm-online.com/home/channel/twitter-greenlights-ads-for-cannabis-thc-brands/
1. “Doobie-us: Pot ads come to Twitter amid cannabis industry collapse …” arstechnica.com, 19 Feb. 2023, https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/02/twitter-allows-weed-ads-the-move-could-alienate-its-top-advertisers/
2. “Presidential Pardons for Federal Cannabis Possession Convictions …” communitynewspapers.com, 19 Feb. 2023, https://communitynewspapers.com/featured/presidential-pardons-for-federal-cannabis-possession-convictions-still-unavailable/
3. “Recreational cannabis passes another MN House committee | News …” www.willmarradio.com, 19 Feb. 2023, https://www.willmarradio.com/news/recreational-cannabis-passes-another-mn-house-committee/article_abdf4658-aec4-11ed-8550-f78f2b27cd1a.html
4. “Advisory board to meet about cannabis law | News …” www.virginislandsdailynews.com, 19 Feb. 2023, http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/advisory-board-to-meet-about-cannabis-law/article_bdbc62a8-d32a-5407-8d28-14edc1dd1d68.html
5. “Cannabis News | Cannabis Blog | Herban Creative” herbancreativenj.com, 19 Feb. 2023, https://herbancreativenj.com/cannabis-news
