Twitter announced Wednesday that it will allow legal hash corporations in the U. S. to advertise hash products with paid advertising on its platform. This announcement marks a significant change as most social media platforms, in particular, ban content similar to this illegal substance at the federal level. Some small social media platforms have allowed hash advertising in the past, such as Social Club, a platform designed especially for the hash community. However, Twitter is the first major social media platform already established to buck this trend, expressing regulations on how the legal hashish industry can engage in advertising.
Although hashish is still illegal at the federal level in the United States, most states have approved some form of legal sale of hashish within their borders. 37 states have medical hash systems and 21 allow recreational use of hashish. This leaves hashish corporations operating under their state’s legislation, the most commonly excluded from paid social media marketing, even though they comply with state law.
Historically, many in the cannabis industry have ignored these rules, or tried to find ways to avoid detection. But even with these attempts, cannabis brands frequently have their posts, or even profiles, taken down. Twitter seems to have an especially active cannabis community. Some estimates suggest Twitter saw over 20 million tweets about cannabis in the last year alone. The new policy could draw even more cannabis brands and consumers to the platform, given the lack of competition for cannabis advertisements on other major social media platforms. Popular platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok all still ban content related to the medicinal plant.
Twitter’s announcement was welcomed by many in the hashish industry, who hoped to see adjustments to social media policies that would reflect the fact that hashish is legal in more than a portion of the country’s states. “Advertising plays a vital role in our culture and the Twitter ad shows that behaviors and conversations are shifting in favor of normalization, legalization, and, frankly, ‘substance equality,’ which reflects where hashish can be advertised compared to alcohol.
Amy Deneson, from the Cannabis Media Council, also applauded Twitter’s decision, saying that “More advertising channels is a positive thing for our industry and it will give cannabis and cannabinoid brands another avenue to reach and grow their audiences.” She adds that “Welcoming the cannabis sector to advertise is a good business decision. We are confident it will prove to be a significant revenue generator for Twitter and will show other mainstream publishers and platforms reliant on ad income that cannabis companies have money to spend and should be treated like other adult CPG brands.”
Of course, Twitter’s new regulations don’t allow hash-free marketing. Its policy on the marketing of hashish in the U. S. The U. S. Department of Homeland Security has some restrictions. For example, only legally legal logos can be applied to promote it and they will first have to be legal through Twitter. Ads should only target locations where that logo is permitted and may not depict hashish use, appeal to minors, or make claims of fitness benefits. A full description of Twitter’s new policy can be found here.