Twitter has announced that, in a significant policy adjustment, it will now permit “approved” and state-legal cannabis companies as well as other advertisers to post advertisements in the United States for regulated THC and CBD products, accessories, and services. This information was made public by the social media platform.
Under the heading “Drugs and drug paraphernalia,” Twitter’s website says, “We permit approved Cannabis (including CBD– cannabinoids) advertisers to target the United States,” as long as a number of requirements are satisfied.
In an initial social media post, AdCann, a cannabis marketing and advertising website with headquarters in Toronto, was the one to break the news about the new development.
According to AdCann, “effective immediately,” Twitter will now allow “advertisers to promote brand preference and informational cannabis-related content” for specific products and services, including the following:
Cannabidiol (CBD) and other cannabinoid-based products.
THC and products with similar effects.
products and services associated with cannabis, such as delivery services, labs, events, and more.
According to AdCann’s reporting, “American cannabis companies, brands, and purveyors will be required to pass through a Twitter advertiser approval process.” This will ensure that these entities are legitimate and have adequate knowledge of the platform.
“Once the application has been reviewed and approved, industry marketers will have access to Twitter’s complete catalog of advertising products, including promoted tweets, promoted product opportunities, location-specific takeovers, in-stream video sponsorships, and partner publication features.”
Executives from the cannabis industry were happy to hear the news.
Patrick Rea, the managing director at Poseidon Garden Ventures, a venture capital firm based in San Francisco, said in a tweet on Tuesday night that “this has been in the works behind the scenes for a while.”
“Cannabis is a leading topic on @Twitter and should be a big channel for #cannabis advertising, depending on the details of the program,” said the company. “Cannabis is a leading topic on @Twitter.” #progress,”
Rosie Mattio, CEO of Mattio Communications, a cannabis-focused marketing and communications firm based in New York City, tweeted, “Kudos to @twitter for being the first major social network to welcome Cannabis advertisements.” Mattio Communications specializes in marketing and communications for the cannabis industry.
Twitter has stated, in accordance with its new policies, that advertisers in the cannabis industry, presumably companies, will be subject to a variety of restrictions and conditions, including the following:
“Advertisers need to be licensed by the appropriate authorities and pre-authorized by Twitter,” says Twitter’s terms of service.
Advertisers are only allowed to target jurisdictions in which they hold a valid license to market their goods or services online.
It is against the law for advertisers to promote or offer the sale of cannabis (including CBD– cannabinoids). Ads for topical (non-ingestible) hemp-derived CBD topical products containing equal to or less than the government-set threshold of 0.3% THC are exempt from this rule. It is the responsibility of the advertiser to ensure that they are in compliance with all laws, rules, regulations, and advertising guidelines that may apply.
“Advertisers are not allowed to target customers who are younger than 21 years old.”
Following the completion of billionaire Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter in October of last year, the company’s policy underwent a sudden and unexpected shift. Musk paid $44 billion for the social media service.
It is common knowledge that Elon Musk smoked marijuana while appearing on Joe Rogan’s podcast in 2018.
According to a later report by Insider, the United States government subsequently ordered Musk, the CEO of the space transportation company SpaceX, to submit to random drug testing for a period of one year.
There is a significant amount of business that is conducted between SpaceX and the federal government.
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As soon as Musk completed his purchase of Twitter, rumors began to circulate suggesting that the billionaire would relax Twitter’s stringent advertising policy regarding marijuana.
In a post that it shared on social media, AdCann made the observation that “up until now, only CBD topical brands were permitted to advertise on Twitter’s platform.”
Moving forward, the social network will make it possible to advertise regulated cannabis products, accessories, services, and more that contain THC or CBD.
Twitter made it abundantly clear in its new guidelines that it would not permit advertising that was aimed at children and teenagers.
Additionally, the company outlined a number of other regulations, stating that advertisements for cannabis must:
“Do not appeal to minors in the creative; additionally, landing pages need to have an age gate; and sales need to have age verification.”
Do not use any characters, sportspeople, celebrities, or images or icons that could possibly appeal to minors.
Do not use children or women who are pregnant as models in any form of advertising.
“Not make false or misleading claims.” “Not show depictions of cannabis product use.” “Not make claims of efficacy or health benefits.” “Not make false or misleading claims.”
Not portray people who are using drugs or who are under the influence.
Not encourage transport across state lines.”
This decision comes on the heels of an announcement made in January by Google Ads that it will no longer prohibit any advertising relating to hemp or CBD in the states of California, Colorado, and Puerto Rico.
However, according to an addition made by Google in its blog post, there will still be restrictions placed on marketers.
Angie Martinez is a writer for a number of different online publications.
