Why cannabis companies are funding the cleanup of 2/3 of Colorado's highways

Cannabis companies are now the main sponsors of highway cleanup in Colorado, notably to get around the ban on cannabis advertising.

Colorado is offering civic organizations, businesses, non-profits and individuals the chance to contribute financially to the collective effort to keep Colorado's roads and rest areas clean. In exchange for a monthly payment, the Adopt a Highway rewards its generous donors with roadside signs thanking them.

As a result, the 51 cannabis dispensaries, growers, manufacturers and processors who are members of the program sponsor approximately 198 miles of road, or 66% of sponsored roads, although they represent less than half of all the organizations participating in the program.

These billboards are most often found near exits leading to the store in question, circumventing the ban on cannabis advertising on TV, radio, social media and print media. According to Ministry of Transportation regulations, billboards Adopt a Highway are not intended to be an advertising medium and are therefore not included in the cannabis advertising rules.

Last year, Colorado lawmakers approved a bill that allows cannabis companies to advertise outdoors, such as on billboards, as long as they are at least 150m from schools, playgrounds and places of worship, and comply with local restrictions.