Twitter becomes the first social media platform to allow cannabis ads in the US

Twitter on Wednesday became the first social media platform to allow cannabis companies to market their brands and products in the United States.

Previously, the company only allowed advertising of hemp-derived topical CBD products, while other social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, follow a “no cannabis advertising policy”. because pot remains federally illegal.

However, more and more states in the US are moving towards allowing the sale of recreational cannabis, with 21 already on board.

Twitter said it will allow cannabis companies to advertise, as long as they have the proper license, go through its approval process, only target jurisdictions where they are licensed to operate and, most importantly, , not to target people under the age of 21.

“This is a pretty massive win for legal cannabis marketers,” said Cresco Labs, a multi-state cannabis and medical marijuana company.

Most pot companies quickly adopted the changes suggested by Twitter. Trulieve Cannabis Corp already launched a multi-state campaign on the platform on Wednesday.

“This change is a testament to the growing acceptance of cannabis as a mainstream wellness category, and we hope it will serve as a catalyst for other social media platforms to follow suit,” said Kate Lynch of Curaleaf, the largest cannabis company operating in the United States. States.

After seeing a surge in sales at the start of the pandemic, the U.S. cannabis industry has shown signs of slowing in the face of regulatory and economic challenges, including falling prices and an illicit market poaching its customers.

Curaleaf recently cut its payroll by 10%, equivalent to less than 4% of its workforce, and abandoned the majority of its operations in three US states.

© Thomson Reuters 2023