Twitter relaxes its advertising policies to allow cannabis ads

Twitter updated its advertising policies on Wednesday to allow cannabis companies to promote their brands on the platform.

"As of today, in certain US states we have taken measures to relax our Cannabis Ads policy to create more opportunities for responsible cannabis marketing – the largest step forward by any social media platform," Twitter's blog stated. "Going forward, Twitter is allowing advertisers to promote brand preference and informational cannabis-related content for CBD, THC, and cannabis-related products and services."

Under the new policy, CBD and THC companies can run ads that promote their brands and provide informational content related to cannabis. However, the ads cannot promote or offer the sale of cannabis, except for ads for topical (non-ingestible) hemp-derived CBD topical products "containing equal to or less than the 0.3% THC government-set threshold."

Advertisers must also not target customers under the age of 21 and may only target jurisdictions wherein they are licensed to promote their products or services. Additionally, the ads must not use characters, sports-persons, celebrities, or images/icons that appeal to minors, make false or misleading claims, depict people under the influence, and encourage transport across state lines. Finally, landing pages should be age-gated while sales should be age-verified.

Previously, Twitter only allowed the advertisement of CBD topicals on its platform.

This change means that Twitter will allow more cannabis ads than other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit. On the former two, companies can advertise hemp products, but with certain restrictions. Reddit, on the other hand, allows ads for "topical and non-ingestible hemp-derived CBD products" in the U.S.

This development also comes at a time when many companies have either reduced their advertising spending or fled the microblogging platform entirely. Back in November, Twitter CEO Elon Musk revealed that the website has seen a significant drop in revenue since he took over the platform. By opening up the platform to cannabis companies, Twitter has an opportunity to recover some advertising revenue.