Adistry: Stay Compliant In Cannabis Advertising

Adistry’s story started at the start of 2012, when Colorado began to make moves to legalize recreational marijuana.

While Co-Founders Meghan and Daniel were helping cannabis startups with their marketing strategies, they began to notice something: cannabis companies were finding it extremely difficult to navigate compliant marketing. The tried-and-true tactics of traditional advertising channels were limited due to federal regulations.

Top channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Google simply prohibited marijuana advertising, and there were no signs that they would be adapting soon. Not to mention, every business in the blooming canna-industry was a startup, with small teams and even smaller budgets, which presents an entirely different challenge to the scenario.

After many requests, meetings, and making it into the first cannabis focused business accelerator, CanopyBoulder, Meghan and Daniel came to the simple observation:

There was a need for a solution that made marijuana marketing suck less, and it needed to eliminate the confusion around compliant advertising.

Meaning, no more time wasted searching for different advertising opportunities. No more marketing dollars spent in the wrong places. No more launching campaigns without analyzing data and understanding key trends.

Ever, since Adistry has been on a mission - to make compliant advertising easier and more efficient for cannabis companies.

How To Navigate Compliant Advertising

Don't feel discouraged - it’s not as hard to stay compliant as you may think! Although there are challenges surrounding how you market your marijuana company, it’s possible to stay compliant and engage your target audience. It’s important to understand both federal and varying state-by-state laws while following a few guidelines.

You can implement marketing campaigns legally as long as you keep in mind these general do’s and don’ts:

1. No false claims. "This product cures hangover" doesn't work, but "Tips and Tricks for Hangovers" does.
2. If you have a marijuana license, do not sell direct on social media! This means no discounts or special deals for dispensaries or edible brands. Vaporizers, services, and other ancillary companies are generally safe.
3. DO NOT target minors. Your campaigns must target 18+ audience for ancillary companies and 21+ for license holders.
4. Don’t infringe on any existing brands’ copyrights, regardless of the industry.
5. If you are not posting your content on a cannabis-specific site or social app, be cautious of listing prices or phrases like “buy”, “sell” or “smoke”.

If you still have concerns, the best thing to do is talk with an attorney knowledgeable in cannabis marketing; or, if you are a license holder, call the local Marijuana Licensing Division in the municipality or state that you want to advertise in.

Have questions about staying compliant while launching massively successful marketing campaigns? Email the Adistry team at hello@adistry.com.