We live in a country where cigarettes are totally legal and take thousands of lives every year and even affect people who don’t even smoke, but marijuana is the one that’s demonized as a “drug.”
The Super Bowl is prime-time for companies around the country who want their product to be seen by millions of people as that is the one day of the year where people actually stay in front of the TV to see the best commercials.
CBS has no issue running commercials for people willing to pay for a spot, but they do have an issue running an ad for marijuana. CBS reportedly shut-down a Super Bowl ad that makes a case for medical marijuana.
The cannabis company Acreage Holdings revealed to CNN Business that CBS rejected its proposed 30-second commercial.
Acreage said its ad agency sent storyboards for the ad to the network and received a return email that said: “CBS will not be accepting any ads for medical marijuana at this time.”
A CBS spokesperson told USA TODAY Sports that under CBS broadcast standards it does not currently accept cannabis-related advertising.
“We’re not particularly surprised that CBS and/or the NFL rejected the content,” Acreage president George Allen said. “And that is actually less a statement about them and more we think a statement about where we stand right now in this country.”
Allen said the issue is that 30 states and the District of Columbia allow varying forms of marijuana use while the federal government classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act.
Allen said Acreage was willing to spend upward of $5 million for the spot, which is the going rate for a Super Bowl ad in 2019. Still, CBS wanted nothing to do with the ad.
“It’s a public service announcement really more than it is an advertisement,” said Harris Damashek, Acreage’s chief marketing officer. “We’re not marketing any of our products or retail in this spot.”
