Twitter recently updated its advertising policies to allow cannabis ads to run in states where it is legal.
Key Details
- Twitter is one of the first major tech companies to allow cannabis advertising in legal states after recently updating its advertising policies.
- The ads it will allow for cannabis will only appear in states where it is legal, and the ads it permits will be limited, according to the policy update.
- CBD and THC companies can run ads promoting their brands and providing informational content, but the ads cannot promote the sale of the products unless it is non-ingestible products.
- Ads will only be accepted if the company has been licensed and approved by authorities, and all advertisers must comply with all laws and regulations of the cannabis marketing industry.
Why it’s news
Elon Musk took over Twitter in October 2022 with the goal of Twitter having fewer content restrictions. He has made numerous changes to allow for fewer restrictions and his newest step—allowing cannabis marketing on the platform.
Twitter recently announced that it is updating its advertising policies, and among that update, it will not allow cannabis ads to run in states where the drug is legal.
The new policy change marks one of the biggest tech companies to allow cannabis ads to run on a platform. Although it allows the cannabis ads to run, there are still restrictions with the ads, and the number of ads will be limited, according to the policy update.
CBD and THC companies can run ads promoting their brands and providing informational content, but the ads cannot promote the sale of the products unless it is non-ingestible products.
Companies will be allowed to promote the sale of topical hemp-derived CBD products “containing equal to or less than the 0.3% THC government-set threshold.”
Companies wanting to run cannabis ads will have to be licensed and approved by the appropriate authorities and cannot target users on the platform under the legal age of purchasing, which is 21.
“In the U.S.—one of the most influential markets for cannabis—it is larger than the conversation around topics such as pets, cooking, and golf, as well as food and beverage categories including fast food, coffee, and liquor. Conversation on Twitter reflects where the cannabis industry is currently heading: legislative/policy reform, business development, and community impact,” says Twitter.
Other tech platforms’ cannabis ad rules
Twitter will be the first major tech company to allow cannabis ads on its platform. Other companies allow ads, but there are many rules and limitations.
Meta allows ads for some hemp products but not THC or CBD, while Reddit allows ads for topical hemp-derived CBD products, and Google allows ads for pharmaceuticals containing CBD and topicals in California, Colorado, and Puerto Rico.