Meta now allows advertising for CBD and hemp

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and the new social network Threads, has updated its cannabis advertising policy to allow the promotion of non-edible CBD products—with certain limitations—and to ease restrictions on hemp advertising.

The social media conglomerate stated in a notice published last Tuesday that CBD-based products containing up to 0.3 % of THC, which corresponds to the U.S. federal definition of legal hemp, may be advertised if they meet certain conditions.

Companies may promote the sale of CBD if they receive written approval from Meta and if the products are certified by the payment compliance company Legitscript and comply with local laws. Ads must also not target people under the age of 18.

Meta's advertising policy for non-edible hemp products (such as fibers or hemp seeds) has also been revised, so that companies no longer need written authorization to promote the sale of these products in the United States, Canada, and Mexico «provided they comply with all applicable local laws, codes, and industry guidelines.».

In addition, it is now permitted to run hemp-related advertisements that «educate, advocate, or provide public service announcements related to CBD and related products, provided that these advertisements do not promote products that are prohibited from sale.».

«We want people to continue discovering and learning about the new products and services offered by our technologies,», the group said.

However, «advertisers will still be prohibited from running ads promoting THC-based products or cannabis products containing related psychoactive components,» the company said.

Advertisements for CBD products, on the other hand, must not contain claims that expressly state or imply that the products featured can «treat, cure, prevent, alleviate, or diagnose a disease or pathological condition in humans or animals.».

Michal Conley, general manager of certification and compliance solutions at LegitScript, said in a press release that the company’s CBD certification program—which is also used by Google to determine which products can be advertised—«comes with an added benefit: the ability to reach millions of potential U.S. customers through certain Meta platforms.».

Twitter has took a similar step by recently updated its cannabis advertising policy. Cannabis companies that are «certified advertisers» can now feature «packaged» cannabis products in ads promoted on the site.