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Open Source Cannabis Ethics
A free resource for cannabis industry marketing professionals.
http://cannabisethics.org
1. Cannabis marketing and advertising materials should portray cannabis
responsibly.
a. Cannabis advertisements should not depict, encourage, or condone illegal
behavior.
b. Although cannabis advertisements may depict the product being consumed,
they should not depict any scenarios that would suggest or portray excessive use,
over-consumption, or addiction.
c. Cannabis advertisements should not portray the consumption of cannabis as a
precursor to or in conjunction with activities which require a significant level of
alertness and focus for safety reasons.
d. Advertisements should not portray anyone lacking control over their movement,
behavior, or emotions as a result of consuming cannabis.
e. Establishments where cannabis is sold, processed, or grown should be portrayed
in advertising as respectable places of business, and should not be portrayed as
disorderly, unprofessional, or unmanaged.
2. Cannabis marketing and advertising materials should be targeted to adult
consumers of legal age.
a. Advertisements should avoid elements and themes that would appeal primarily
to children or people under the legal age for consumption of cannabis. In
determining whether an advertisement would have special appeal to underage
viewers, cannabis advertisers and marketers should consider the following factors
among others:
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Language
Symbols
Gestures
Music
Pop Culture
Entertainers & Celebrities
Video Games
Cartoon Characters
b. Models and actors featured in cannabis advertisements should be no less than
25 years of age, and should reasonably appear to be 21 years of age, or the age at
which cannabis consumption is legal in the region or state where an advertisement
will be shown.
c. Cannabis advertisements should follow all state and local guidelines related to
ad placement and content, especially with regard to limitations on the distance
that advertisements must be kept from schools, video arcades, playgrounds, and
any other facilities principally occupied by children.
d. Cannabis advertisements should not attempt to convert non-consumers. As
such, advertisements should not portray first-time usage as a social obligation or
rite of passage, and they should not depict cannabis consumption as a solution to
social alienation or bullying. Moreover, cannabis advertisements should only be
targeted to people who already consume cannabis.
e. Cannabis should not be advertised at an event where the majority of the
audience is likely to consist of people under the legal age for consumption.
f. Advertisers for cannabis products and brands, as well as retailers, growers, and
processors, should take specific care to publish advertisements only in publications
that are followed primarily by adults.
g. Digital media marketing for cannabis businesses should reflect a concerted
effort to prevent outreach to underage people. This effort should include notifying
parental control software companies of the addresses of any websites and social
media profiles that contain cannabis advertisements. Targeted advertising
campaigns in social media and search engines should only target consumers of
legal age.
h. Cannabis industry businesses should remain diligent about tracking and auditing
their marketing process to identify the most effective and ethically responsible
course of action to avoid having an influence on underage people.
3. Cannabis marketing and advertising materials should not emphasize or
exaggerate the effects of cannabis consumption.
a. Cannabis advertisements should not imply or suggest that a cannabis product
has unique or special qualities which it does not have.
b. Advertisements should not make unsubstantiated scientific claims about the
health benefits of cannabis.
c. Advertisements should not recommend cannabis consumption as a solution to
problems of a personal nature, such as stress, social anxiety, athletic ability, and
financial insecurity, among others.
4. While cannabis advertisements may contain romantic or flirtatious elements,
they should not contain overt sexual references or explicit sexual activity.
a. Cannabis should not be advertised as a conduit for sexual activity or as a means
of enhancing sexual performance or experience, except in the case of products
which are designed specifically for sexual enhancement.
b. Cannabis advertisements should not contain lewd images or graphic nudity.
5. Advertising and marketing materials for cannabis should strive for social
responsibility and justice in their portrayals.
a. Cannabis advertisements should not depict scenarios that undermine or negate
the basic human dignity of a person or group of people based on:
○ race
○ gender identity
○ sexual identity
○ nationality
○ religion
○ age
○ physical or mental ability
○ military service
b. Cannabis advertisers should strive to be aware of and to avoid the use of
negative stereotypes in their portrayals.