Twitter refines weed policy to allow packaged products and more

Twitter is opening the door to advertisers of packaged cannabis products, the Associated Press reports, with refined changes to the announcement that it will begin allowing THC ads in addition to CBD ads last February.

The new changes will allow for packaged cannabis products in ad design and will include updated medicinal and adult cannabis markets. It’s the latest major change to the platform since Elon Musk bought it in April 2022.

The grass is getting greener 🍃 Certified advertisers can now feature packaged cannabis products in their Twitter ads.

We’ve also made some changes for medical licensees and opened up additional recreational markets 👇https://t.co/xrgGLZc99f https://t.co/ktNNijmr9a

— Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) April 25, 2023

“To date, we have taken action in certain US states to relax our cannabis advertising policies to create more opportunities for responsible cannabis marketing – the biggest step forward of any social media platform,” Alexa Alianiello from Twitter US Sales & Partnerships and Rohan Routroy from Twitter Next wrote in a blog post on the Twitter website.

When Twitter first announced changes to its ad policy in February, Twitter users complained that several features still didn’t seem to be working. Users complained that features like radius targeting and conversion tracking were still not working. It seemed that some features were in beta.

In theory, the new changes could iron out some of these issues. “In the future, Twitter will enable advertisers to promote brand preference and informational cannabis-related content for CBD, THC and cannabis-related products and services,” read the blog post’s announcement.

The post continues, “We look forward to helping more customers harness the power of Twitter Ads to connect to the cannabis conversation and grow their business.”

According to Alianiello, Twitter also added additional medicinal and adult-use cannabis markets to the platform. Several restrictions remain in place, primarily related to the practice of making unproven or false medical claims.

Any advertising of cannabis and CBD content must not target minors in the creative, landing pages must be age-restricted, and sales must be age-verified; Do not use characters, athletes, celebrities, or images/icons that appeal to minors. Do not use minors or pregnant women as models in advertising; make no claims of efficacy or health benefits; not make any false/misleading claims; do not show the use of cannabis products; do not depict any person influencing or under the influence; and do not encourage transportation across state borders.

A gradual relaxation of cannabis rules

Twitter announced major changes to its cannabis policy in February, saying it would allow THC, CBD and similar ads in the US

The changes were first reported by AdCann. “Previously, only CBD-themed brands were allowed to advertise on the Twitter platform,” AdCann wrote on its website. “In the future, the social network will enable the promotion of regulated cannabis products, accessories, services and more containing THC and CBD.”

Twitter posted the updated policy in the Drugs and Drug Paraphernalia section of the site, outlining the process for advertisers promoting cannabis products.

Elon Musk made drastic changes to the Twitter platform, most notably removing the coveted blue ticks from verified accounts. Twitter Blue completely rewrote the system, instead allowing verified blue ticks to anyone willing to pay a small monthly fee.

This change caused an uproar from prominent Twitter users like Stephen King, whose complaint about an unwanted blue tick led to a face-to-face exchange with Musk. Lebron James also revealed that he refused to pay for the blue tick but got one anyway.

One of Tucker Carlson’s last interviews was with Elon Musk before he was unexpectedly canned by Fox News despite being one of the platform’s biggest stars. In the interview, Musk said when confronted with Twitter’s billion-dollar depreciation that there are “some things money can’t buy.”

Time will tell if the new changes to THC and CBD ads will stick.