Cannabis companies will be able to market their brands and products on Twitter in the U.S., reversing long-standing rules on whether marijuana should be advertised on the platform in the country.
The social media giant updated its cannabis marketing policy on Tuesday after years of prohibition in any sovereign nation outside of Canada.
The changes will allow advertisers to promote brand preference and informational cannabis-related content for regulated THC cannabis products and services.
Cannabis companies and brands have historically been banned from traditional or social media ad buy. Facebook, Instagram ( both owned by parent company META ), and TikTok often censor cannabis-related posts and accounts.
Before the changes, only CBD topical brands were allowed to market their products on the platform, when hemp became legal in the U.S. made through the federal farm bill five years ago.
U.S. companies also can market their delivery services, labs, growing technology, search engines, and events on at least one platform.
American cannabis companies and brands will need to go through a Twitter advertiser approval process to ensure they are legitimate and educated on the platform.
Once approved, industry marketers can access the platform’s suite of products, such as promoted tweets, promoted product opportunities, location-specific takeovers, in-stream video sponsorships, and partner publication features.
Twitter said that the services will be self-managed by the cannabis company, which means that the onus is on the advertiser to ensure compliance with state-level regulation.
Location-specific and age-gated targeting will be available for brands to make sure they are compliant with regulations.
According to ADCANN, some out-of-home marketing is allow in some states, “but these ads are costly and the ROI is often hard to measure. Other than SEO tactics, email marketing, and native social media content, cannabis brands do not have many options for promoting their products.”
