Cannabis advertising

Cultivators

Cultivators grow cannabis for sale as flower or for processing into other products. Their marketing may emphasize strain genetics, cannabinoid and terpene profiles, cultivation methods, geographic origin, production scale, and testing. Cultivators that primarily sell to processors or dispensaries also use business-to-business promotion aimed at wholesale purchasers.

Manufacturers and product brands

Manufacturers convert cannabis into products such as pre-rolls, concentrates, vapor cartridges, edible products, beverages, tinctures, and topicals. Their advertising often resembles conventional consumer packaged goods marketing and may emphasize flavor, dosage, format, portability, consistency, ingredients, or intended occasion of use. Packaging and in-store merchandising are particularly important where paid media are restricted.

Dispensaries and delivery services

Dispensary advertising commonly emphasizes store location, available products, price, discounts, delivery, and loyalty programs. Retailers may promote many independently owned brands alongside private-label products. A 2025 study of cannabis advertising in four United States markets examined advertisements from the retailer Uncle Ike's, multistate operator Cresco Labs, retailer and brand MedMen, and edible brand Mindy's, illustrating differences in advertising volume and content among business types.^[4]

Vertically integrated operators

Vertically integrated cannabis companies control more than one stage of cultivation, processing, distribution, or retail. Marketing by these operators can connect agricultural production, manufacturing claims, branded products, and the retail experience under the same corporate identity. Vertically integrated companies may operate a single consumer brand or maintain portfolios of regional and product-specific brands.

Marketplaces and technology platforms

Online marketplaces and cannabis technology companies generally do not cultivate or manufacture products. Their consumer marketing instead focuses on dispensary discovery, menus, ordering, product information, and price comparison. Because these services can connect consumers to separately licensed retailers, their advertising may be treated differently from direct product advertising depending on the jurisdiction.

Flower

Advertising for cannabis flower frequently emphasizes strain name, potency, aroma, terpene profile, genetics, cultivation technique, and origin. Brands may position flower as premium, craft, sungrown, indoor-grown, organic, value-oriented, or medically focused. Limited harvests and new strain releases may be promoted using product-launch or “drop” strategies.

Pre-rolls

Pre-roll advertising commonly emphasizes convenience, consistency, quantity, and occasion of use. The category includes single joints, multipacks, and infused pre-rolls containing concentrates. Premium brands may use luxury packaging and limited releases, whereas value brands often compete through price and pack size.

Concentrates and vapor products

Concentrate and vapor-product advertising may emphasize extraction method, potency, flavor, hardware, portability, and the distinction between products such as live resin, rosin, distillate, and other extracts. Claims concerning purity, contaminants, health effects, or product safety may be subject to advertising and consumer-protection law.

Edible products

Edible cannabis products include gummies, chocolates, baked goods, mints, capsules, and other ingestible formats. Advertising commonly emphasizes flavor, texture, dose, ingredients, consistency, and onset or duration. A 2024 content analysis of 1,229 edible-product packages documented health and naturalness claims, flavor imagery, and other marketing characteristics used on products offered through an online dispensary.^[5]

Packaging that resembles candy, snacks, or other conventional foods has prompted concern about accidental ingestion and appeal to children. In 2023 and 2024, the United States Federal Trade Commission and Food and Drug Administration sent cease-and-desist letters to sellers of delta-8 THC edibles whose packaging imitated popular snack foods.^[6]

Beverages

Cannabis beverages include carbonated drinks, teas, drink mixes, and alcohol alternatives containing cannabinoids. Marketing frequently emphasizes flavor, dose, onset time, sociability, and use in settings where smoking is undesirable. Some beverage brands position their products as alternatives to alcoholic drinks. Despite substantial investment and media attention, beverage sales have represented a comparatively small portion of legal cannabis sales in the United States and Canada.^[7]

Topicals, tinctures, and wellness products

Topicals, tinctures, and cannabidiol products are often promoted using wellness, self-care, sleep, recovery, or therapeutic language. In the United States, advertising claims that a product can prevent, treat, or cure disease generally require competent and reliable scientific evidence. The FTC has brought enforcement actions against cannabidiol sellers for false or unsupported claims involving conditions including cancer, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease.^[8]

Packaging and labeling

Packaging performs both informational and promotional functions. It can communicate brand identity, product type, dosage, potency, ingredients, warnings, and required regulatory information. Governments may restrict colors, imagery, package shape, testimonials, health claims, and designs considered attractive to children. In Canada, cannabis packages and labels are subject to federal requirements separate from, but related to, the Cannabis Act restrictions on promotion.^[1]

Retail merchandising

In-store marketing includes product displays, menus, signage, recommendations by retail employees, and promotional pricing. Because many consumers make purchase decisions at dispensaries, shelf placement and employee familiarity can influence brand visibility. Jurisdictions may restrict products visible from outside a store, promotional giveaways, discounts, or self-service displays.

Digital advertising and search

Cannabis businesses use websites, online directories, search-engine optimization, display advertising, and paid search where permitted. Digital advertising can be limited by both law and the policies of advertising platforms. As a result, brands may rely on educational articles, dispensary menus, local search results, and earned media to reach consumers without directly purchasing cannabis-product advertisements.

Social media

Cannabis brands and retailers use social media for product announcements, brand storytelling, education, contests, influencer partnerships, and communication with consumers. A review of major social-media platform policies found that cannabis-related rules varied in their definitions and enforcement, potentially allowing promotional content to remain accessible to underage users.^[9]

Studies have found associations between exposure to cannabis marketing on social and traditional media and cannabis use. In a study of adolescents in states with legal retail cannabis, exposure through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram was associated with higher odds of past-year use, although observational research does not by itself establish causation.^[2] Researchers have also documented cannabis-company social-media posts that appeared inconsistent with state advertising requirements concerning warnings, health claims, and youth appeal.^[10]

Direct marketing and loyalty programs

Retailers use email, text messaging, mobile applications, and loyalty programs to announce products, provide order updates, and distribute promotions. These channels allow businesses to communicate with existing customers and to segment messages by location or purchasing history. Their use may be governed by age-verification requirements, privacy law, promotional restrictions, and general rules covering commercial email and text messages.

Outdoor, broadcast, and print advertising

Billboards, transit advertisements, newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and direct mail are governed by a combination of cannabis-specific and general advertising rules. Regulations may establish distance requirements from schools or playgrounds, audience-composition thresholds, placement restrictions, and mandatory warnings.

United States federal law has complicated the mailing of newspapers containing cannabis advertisements. In 2015, federal officials warned newspapers that publications containing advertisements for federally prohibited marijuana sales could not lawfully be mailed, even in states that had legalized cannabis.^[11] Advertising restrictions and reluctance among some conventional publishers contributed to a market for cannabis advertising in local alternative newspapers.^[12]

Events, sponsorships, and experiential marketing

Cannabis companies have used trade shows, festivals, pop-up installations, product demonstrations, and experiential campaigns. Applicable law may prohibit product sampling, consumption, sponsorship, or the public display of cannabis brand elements. Canada prohibits the use of cannabis brand elements in the promotion of sponsorships and restricts testimonials, endorsements, lifestyle promotion, and celebrity associations.^[1]

Lifestyle and normalization

Some campaigns seek to distance legal cannabis from stereotypes associated with illicit markets or habitual intoxication. They may present consumers as professionals, parents, athletes, patients, or participants in ordinary social activities.

MedMen used this approach in its 2018 “Forget Stoner” campaign, which depicted cannabis consumers from different professions and backgrounds without showing cannabis products or consumption. The estimated $2 million campaign was distributed through outdoor, print, digital, and television advertising.^[13]

MedMen continued this positioning with “The New Normal,” a 2019 short film tracing cannabis in the United States from colonial hemp cultivation through prohibition and legalization. The campaign was overseen by MedMen chief marketing officer David Dancer, created with advertising agency Mekanism, directed by Spike Jonze, and narrated by actor Jesse Williams.^[14]

Kiva Confections has used clean packaging, controlled dosage, and product education to present cannabis edibles in a manner resembling established food and consumer-packaged-goods brands. Industry coverage described Kiva's design as helping make cannabis purchasing and consumption more approachable to a broader audience.^[15]

Houseplant, founded by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Michael Mohr, has combined cannabis products with ceramics, ashtrays, music, and home goods. Its branding positions cannabis as part of domestic design and contemporary lifestyle culture. When Houseplant launched in the United States in 2021, attention generated by Rogen and the brand's design-focused product strategy caused its website to crash and produced more than 500 million media impressions during its launch week.^[16]

Critics have compared normalization strategies with historical alcohol and tobacco marketing, particularly when lifestyle imagery may appeal to young people.

Medical and wellness positioning

Medical and wellness advertising may emphasize symptom management, relaxation, sleep, recovery, or reduced reliance on other substances. Brands using this position frequently adopt restrained packaging, educational language, natural imagery, and personal stories rather than imagery associated with recreational intoxication.

Charlotte's Web used wellness and advocacy positioning in its “Trust the Earth” campaign. Created with Studio Number One, the agency founded by artist Shepard Fairey, the campaign used murals and large-scale environmental artwork to promote access to hemp-derived cannabidiol. Credited marketing and creative personnel included Charlotte's Web creative director and director of integrated marketing Andrew Lincoln, vice president of marketing Reed Damon, and marketing director Martha Opela.^[17][18]

Wana Brands has similarly combined edible-product marketing with education about dosage, product format, and responsible consumption. Joe Hodas served as the company's chief marketing officer during a period of multistate expansion and was responsible for the brand's marketing and revenue-development strategy before later becoming its president.^[19]

Medical and wellness positioning can overlap with regulated health claims. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission has stated that health-related advertising claims require adequate substantiation and has acted against cannabidiol companies making unsupported disease-treatment claims.^[20] In 2021, the FTC brought an enforcement action against Kushly and the company's principal marketer for allegedly making unsupported claims that cannabidiol products could treat conditions including cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and chronic pain.^[21]

Product launches and limited releases

Cannabis companies use product “drops,” limited releases, collaborations, and seasonal products to create scarcity and attention. The technique resembles limited-release strategies used in footwear, fashion, music, and entertainment.

Hana Meds, a vertically integrated Arizona operator, has used scheduled product releases to maintain interest in its brands and evaluate demand for new products. Alison Miller, the company's director of sales and marketing, described product drops as part of a strategy for maintaining brand attention before introducing new products.^[22]

Space Coyote has used collaborations with extract manufacturers to release infused pre-rolls that combine its branding with that of another producer. The company was founded by chief executive officer Libby Cooper and president Scott Sundvor and has connected its releases with commissioned artwork, creativity, and cannabis counterculture.^[23]

Jeeter has used limited releases, celebrity events, themed packaging, and “Jeeter Day” promotions to generate attention for new pre-roll products. The brand's leadership included co-founders and co-chief executives Lukasz Tracz and Sebastian Solano and vice president of marketing Patryk Tracz.^[24]

Houseplant has also used limited product releases that combine cannabis culture with home design, including ceramic smoking accessories, vinyl records, and strain-specific launches. Co-founder Seth Rogen has served as the company's principal public-facing creative representative.^[16]

Celebrity and cultural partnerships

Celebrity-associated cannabis brands and partnerships use an existing public persona to generate awareness and communicate positioning such as luxury, authenticity, music culture, comedy, or social advocacy.

Monogram, a cannabis brand associated with Jay-Z, used luxury and cultural positioning in “The Good Life, Redefined.” The campaign recreated photographer Slim Aarons' images of wealthy American socialites with Black artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, and cultural figures. Jay-Z led the brand's public creative positioning, while filmmaker Hype Williams photographed and directed the campaign.^[25] Monogram's marketing connected cannabis with luxury, Black cultural achievement, and the brand's social-equity commitments.^[26]

Houseplant relies on the public identity and creative involvement of co-founder Seth Rogen but also incorporates products designed around his interests in ceramics, music, and cannabis culture. This approach integrates the celebrity founder into the product-development and brand-design process rather than using a conventional endorsement alone.^[16]

Examples have also included Tyson Ranch, connected to boxer Mike Tyson, and cannabis brands associated with entertainers including Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson. The commercial value of these partnerships depends partly on the perceived connection between the celebrity and cannabis culture.

Celebrity endorsements and lifestyle associations are prohibited or restricted in some jurisdictions because well-known performers and athletes may appeal to young people. Canada's Cannabis Act, for example, restricts testimonials, endorsements, depictions of people or characters, and lifestyle-oriented cannabis promotion.^[27]

Education and responsible-use campaigns

Companies and industry platforms may combine promotion with information about dosage, ingredients, legal purchasing, impaired driving, product testing, or cannabis policy. Educational campaigns can serve a public-information function while also increasing awareness of the sponsoring brand.

Weedmaps used this approach in its “#weedfacts” campaign, which placed billboards containing claims and questions about cannabis policy, taxation, research, and legalization in major United States markets. The campaign was designed to challenge misconceptions about cannabis while directing audiences to educational material maintained by Weedmaps.^[28]

Ahead of Canadian adult-use legalization in 2018, Tweed partnered with Uber and Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada on a national impaired-driving campaign. The campaign offered information about cannabis impairment, presented alternatives to driving after consumption, and distributed Uber promotional codes. The participating organizations collectively received campaign credit rather than a single marketing executive.^[29]

Kiva Confections has participated in consumer education concerning dosage and the purchase of regulated cannabis products. Its restrained packaging and clearly divided doses have also been cited as elements that make edible products more understandable to consumers.^[15]

The distinction between neutral information and commercial promotion is addressed differently across jurisdictions. Educational material produced by a cannabis company may still be considered advertising when it increases awareness of the company, promotes brand preference, or directs consumers toward its products.

Contests and user engagement

Brands have used contests, giveaways, comments, event activations, and user-generated content to increase social-media engagement.

In July 2020, Arizona edible-products company Baked Bros used an Instagram giveaway that generated 3,584 comments on a single post. Pioneer Intelligence subsequently ranked Baked Bros twelfth among its 15 highest-performing non-retail cannabis brands for that month, using measures of social-media activity, earned media, and web activity.^[30] Marketing Director Zane Bolen was credited with leading Baked Bros' digital growth and marketing strategy during this period.^[31]

Jeeter has combined social-media promotion with celebrity-attended events, themed product releases, and annual “Jeeter Day” activations. Vice president of marketing Patryk Tracz was part of the leadership team responsible for developing the brand's public presence alongside its founders.^[24]

Houseplant's 2021 United States launch demonstrated the promotional reach of a celebrity founder's existing audience. Seth Rogen announced the expansion through social media and communicated directly with prospective customers after traffic overwhelmed the company's website.^[16]

Contests and engagement campaigns may be regulated as advertising even when consumers distribute some of the resulting content. Applicable requirements can include age restrictions, platform rules, disclosure of material relationships, contest law, and prohibitions against giving cannabis products away as prizes.

United States

Cannabis advertising in the United States is regulated through federal consumer-protection and communications law and a patchwork of state and local cannabis rules. State requirements may address false or misleading claims, required warnings, proximity to schools, audience composition, depictions of consumption, appeal to children, promotional items, and advertising outside the state.

California prohibits false or misleading advertising and unsubstantiated health claims by licensed cannabis businesses.^[32] Washington prohibits advertising that is especially appealing to children and regulates signs, promotional products, depictions of consumption, and other practices.^[33]

Federal agencies also regulate advertising for cannabinoid products. The FTC can act against deceptive or unsubstantiated advertising, while the FDA regulates product labeling and claims that cause a product to be treated as a drug. The agencies have jointly warned sellers about unsupported medical claims and edible cannabinoid products packaged to resemble foods commonly consumed by children.^[8][6]

Canada

Canada legalized adult-use cannabis nationally in 2018. The Cannabis Act generally prohibits promotion of cannabis, accessories, and cannabis-related services, subject to limited exceptions. It prohibits promotions that appeal to young people, use testimonials or endorsements, depict people or characters, present cannabis as part of a glamorous or exciting lifestyle, or use cannabis brand elements in sponsorship promotion. Informational and brand-preference promotion may be permitted in communications inaccessible to young people or in prescribed places.^[1]

Canadian packaging rules also limit brand elements and require standardized health warnings and product information. The federal government has described the restrictions as measures intended to protect public health while allowing adults to receive factual information such as price, availability, ingredients, and cannabinoid content.^[34]

International approaches

Countries that prohibit the commercial production or sale of cannabis generally prohibit corresponding consumer advertising. Jurisdictions permitting medical cannabis may restrict promotion to health professionals or factual product information. Severely limiting advertising has been described as part of a “grudging toleration” model of cannabis policy.^[35] A draft Framework Convention on Cannabis Control developed through the Beckley Foundation in 2010 proposed comprehensive restrictions on cannabis promotion.^[36]