{"id":61872,"date":"2023-02-15T08:36:53","date_gmt":"2023-02-15T16:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2023\/02\/15\/twitters-new-marijuana-advertising-policy-still-doesnt-allow-ads-for-marijuana-product-sales\/"},"modified":"2023-02-15T19:46:44","modified_gmt":"2023-02-16T03:46:44","slug":"twitters-new-marijuana-advertising-policy-still-doesnt-allow-ads-for-marijuana-product-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2023\/02\/15\/twitters-new-marijuana-advertising-policy-still-doesnt-allow-ads-for-marijuana-product-sales\/","title":{"rendered":"Twitter\u2019s New Marijuana Advertising Policy Still Doesn\u2019t Allow Ads For Marijuana Product Sales"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Twitter has revised its rules for marijuana advertising\u2014saying it will now allow industry participants to \u201cpromote brand preference and informational cannabis-related content for CBD, THC and cannabis-related products and services\u201d\u2014but there are still open questions about the practical implications of the new policy.<\/p>\n

The social media company recently started reaching out to marijuana accounts to inform them of the forthcoming policy change, which was uploaded this week and says that Twitter now permits \u201capproved Cannabis (including CBD\u2013 cannabinoids) advertisers to target the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

That line on its own seems to have left many stakeholders with the impression that marijuana companies now have wide latitude for marketing on the site. But the policy is still seriously restrictive, prohibiting cannabis businesses from advertising their actual products for sale, for example.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdvertisers may not promote or offer the sale of Cannabis (including CBD\u2013 cannabinoids),\u201d it says. The exception is ads for \u201ctopical (non-ingestible) hemp-derived CBD topical products containing equal to or less than the 0.3 percent THC government-set threshold.\u201d<\/p>\n

Twitter, which confirmed to Marijuana Moment on Wednesday that the rules now shown live on its website represent the change that was touted to cannabis industry stakeholders, had the same limited CBD carveout in effect previously\u2014specifying that advertisers could only \u201cpromote non-ingestible, legally derived CBD topical products.\u201d<\/p>\n

While there\u2019s certainly a market for those products, it represents a small sliver of what\u2019s available in the state-legal marijuana industry.<\/p>\n

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We’re turning over a new leaf.https:\/\/t.co\/42knBnGlLY<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) February 15, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cAs the cannabis industry has expanded, so too has the conversation on Twitter,\u201d Twitter\u2019s Alexa Alianiello said in a blog post<\/a> on Wednesday formally announcing the policy change. \u201cIn the US\u2014one of the most influential markets for cannabis\u2014it 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cannabis space on Twitter is fun and engaging with users Tweeting about their experiences using cannabis\u2014whether medicinally, for wellness, or recreation\u2014as well as recommending brands, products, and retail locations. The conversation also reflects where the cannabis industry is currently heading: legislative\/policy reform, business development, and community impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company representative said that the reason Twitter decided to \u201crelax\u201d cannabis advertising policy was \u201cto create more opportunities for responsible cannabis marketing\u2014the largest step forward by any social media platform.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the new policy<\/a>, cannabis businesses are barred from promoting ads that depict cannabis use or people under the influence, make \u201cclaims of efficacy or health benefits\u201d or use \u201ccharacters, sports-persons, celebrities, or images\/icons appealing to minors.\u201d<\/p>\n

That latter rule seems to be problematically subjective, as there are a number of celebrities and athletes who\u2019ve become part of the marijuana industry and who might appeal to adults and minors alike.<\/p>\n

That said, there does seem to be somewhat more leeway than before for cannabis companies. While they can\u2019t advertise their products for sale, it appears that they might be able to promote their brands and non-commercial activity.<\/p>\n

Also, some ancillary companies like PAX have started advertising their vaporizer devices in light of the policy change.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re excited to be among the first of Twitter\u2019s cannabis advertising partners and be able to engage customers more directly,\u201d PAX Vice President of Marketing Luke Droulez said in a press release on Wednesday. \u201cAfter decades of prohibitionist propaganda, there is an opportunity to destigmatize and normalize the plant and its use.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, the news of Twitter\u2019s revised rules\u2014which were first highlighted<\/a> by ADCANN on Tuesday\u2014seems to have left many stakeholders with the impression that the floodgates are opening, as if the policy for cannabis is now as flexible as it is for alcohol, for example.<\/p>\n

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Kudos to @twitter<\/a> for being the first major social network to welcome Cannabis advertisements. <\/p>\n

We\u2019re thrilled to be working closely with the team over there to implement this program. https:\/\/t.co\/qbvdsMCwd5<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rosie Mattio (@RosieMattio) February 15, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Pretty incredible news for the cannabis industry. \"👏🏻\"\"👏🏻\"\"👏🏻\"@elonmusk<\/a> #legalizeIt<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/1ZJGlGjXjJ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jeff Schultz (@JSchultz44) February 15, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Great news for the industry. Thanks @Twitter<\/a> and @elonmusk<\/a>. We look forward to doing more w the platform! https:\/\/t.co\/RPzLuzA6Ti<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MariMed (@MariMed_Inc) February 15, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Twitter does set limitations<\/a> on alcohol advertising content, but products can still be promoted if they don\u2019t violate various restrictions on appealing to minors, implying that alcohol consumption in excess is good and more.<\/p>\n

Where the new rules do seem to expand advertising opportunities for the cannabis sector, they seem limited to generic brand promotion that doesn\u2019t involve a company\u2019s actual products, unless they\u2019re topical CBD items.<\/p>\n

The new cannabis policy only applies to the U.S., and companies can only \u201ctarget jurisdictions in which they are licensed to promote these products or services online.\u201d The rules for Canada, where marijuana is federally legal, remain the same as under a prior iteration of the policy that allows cannabis ads within certain guidelines.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a long time coming for social platforms to allow state legal cannabis brands to advertise on the same platforms that have built massively successful brands in other industries,\u201d Kaliko Castille, CEO of ThndrStrm Strategies and author of CannabisCMO, a cannabis marketing newsletter, told Marijuana Moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwitter beginning to open up their ads policy is finally a step in the right direction\u2014although it seems there is more work to do for cannabis brands to have full access to consumers on the ad platform,\u201d he said. \u201cI hope the legal departments of other platforms start to follow suit and that one day cannabis brands will have the same marketing opportunities as any other business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Google also updated its cannabis advertising policy<\/a> as of last month, making it so companies can promote Food and Drug Administration- (FDA) approved drugs containing CBD, as well as topical CBD products with no more than 0.3 percent THC.<\/p>\n

However, Google restricts those ad opportunities to California, Colorado and Puerto Rico. While Twitter\u2019s previous policy<\/a> also prohibited advertising the limited CBD products in seven specific states, that restriction now appears to have been removed.<\/p>\n

Not long after Tesla CEO Elon Musk took over Twitter last year, the company separately ended a federal partnership<\/a> that had presented users who searched the site for certain drug-related keywords, including \u201cmarijuana,\u201d with a suggestion they consider entering drug treatment. No such suggestion had appeared for \u201calcohol\u201d searches.<\/p>\n

Musk has repeatedly inserted himself in the marijuana debate on several occasions, including on Twitter.<\/p>\n

He got into hot water for\u00a0puffing a blunt during a podcast interview with Joe Rogan<\/a>\u00a0in 2018 (he later claimed he never inhaled it<\/a>), prompting a federal investigation over his company SpaceX\u2019s \u201cworkplace safety\u201d and \u201cadherence to a drug-free environment.<\/p>\n

The next year, when shares of his other company, Telsa, hit $420, he responded on Twitter with\u00a0crying laughing emojis and said<\/a>\u00a0\u201cWhoa\u2026the stock is so high lol.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also raised the attention of the federal Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2018 after he said he was considering taking Tesla private at a share price of $420\u2014an announcement that SEC described as \u201cfalse and misleading\u201d and that was made without required notification to regulators. That tweet was the subject of a recent lawsuit in which Musk was found not liable.<\/p>\n

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Washington Lawmakers Approve Bill To Allow Cross-Border Marijuana Sales<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The post Twitter\u2019s New Marijuana Advertising Policy Still Doesn\u2019t Allow Ads For Marijuana Product Sales<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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Twitter has revised its rules for marijuana advertising\u2014saying it will now allow industry participants to \u201cpromote brand preference and informational cannabis-related content for CBD, THC and cannabis-related products and services\u201d\u2014but there are still open questions about the practical implications of the new policy. The social media company recently started reachingContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":61873,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1335,18],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61872"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61872"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61872\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61874,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61872\/revisions\/61874"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}