Meta updates policy to allow CBD ads without permission

Major social media platforms continue to gradually warm to cannabis. While Meta competitor Twitter announced last February that it would allow some CBD and THC ads, Meta is also taking steps and continues to relax restrictions on CBD-related ads. On July 11, Facebook released an announcement detailing Meta’s new policy on CBD and related products in the US, Canada, and Mexico, changing some formulations from hemp to CBD.

“We want people to continue to discover and learn about new products and services based on our technologies,” Facebook wrote. “Starting today, we are renaming our “Hemp & Related Products” advertising policy to “CBD & Related Products” and allowing the promotion of legal, non-ingestible CBD in the United States with some restrictions.”

Keep in mind that these products have been legal for some purposes at the federal level since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized industrial hemp and hemp products with insignificant amounts or >0.3% THC on a dry weight basis.

“Under the new policy, advertisers do not need written permission to run ads that: Promote or offer the sale of hemp products that contain no CBD or greater than 0.3% THC (e.g., hemp seeds and hemp fiber) in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, provided they comply with all applicable local laws, required or established industry codes and guidelines,” a Meta spokesperson told High Times in an email statement.

In 2019, Facebook announced that it would allow thematic advertising for hemp products – but not advertising for ingestible products. This could be partly due to the FDA determining that THC and CBD products are exempt from the definition of dietary supplements. The new changes clarify between hemp and CBD products and remove the written approval requirement. This includes ads that “educate, endorse, or post public notices related to CBD and related products, provided such ads do not feature prohibited products for sale.”

Hemp products that are marketed as psychoactive are unlikely to be approved. The spokesperson continued, “Advertisers are still prohibited from running ads promoting THC products or cannabis products with related psychoactive compounds. Additionally, advertisers can only serve ads promoting or offering the sale of legal, ingestible CBD products that contain no more than 0.3% THC, so long as they:

• Certified with Legitscript
• Have written permission from Meta
• Follow all applicable local laws or established industry codes and guidelines.

“Additionally, ads for CBD products may not be targeted to anyone under the age of 18 and are only permitted in the United States,” the spokesperson continued.

That’s a slight improvement from what we’re used to: Meta’s Instagram and Facebook routinely pull cannabis accounts off the platforms in a game of cat-and-mouse when they’re found to be violating community standards. There are no signs that it will stop anytime soon.

In February, Twitter announced that it would now allow ads promoting CBD and THC products in certain jurisdictions. “As the cannabis industry has expanded, so has the discussion on Twitter. In the US — one of the most influential markets for cannabis — it outpaces discussion of topics like pets, cooking and golf, and food and beverage categories like fast food, coffee and spirits,” Twitter wrote.

Facebook’s new app Threads – dubbed the “Twitter Killer” – grew astronomically as soon as it was released to the public, reaching 100 million users in a matter of days. Social media apps face stiff competition, including in the way they regulate CBD and/or THC-related advertising.