Cannabis advertising banned on Twitch, alcohol exceptions remain

Twitch, the video game streaming platform acquired by Amazon in 2014, recently released an update to its branded content guidelines, which includes a ban on sponsoring cannabis products or brands.

Twitch’s guidelines on branded content explain that it is defined as «streamers featuring products or services in exchange for value, such as being paid or receiving goods or services.» This can include product placements, endorsements, channel sponsorships, and more.

In its list of prohibited products, Twitch specifies that it does not allow services that violate its Community Guidelines, such as high-stakes gambling, the unauthorized sharing of private information, and «illegal products and services, such as the sale, advertising, or trafficking of drugs, firearms, counterfeit goods, or other illegal products and services.».

It is also specified that streamers may not feature sponsored content involving weapons, adult products, tobacco products, political content, or «cannabis-related products, including vaping and delivery.».

When asked by High Times, content creator JimTanna, who streams on Twitch and posts videos on YouTube, explains that the announcement that cannabis sponsorship is banned while alcohol brand sponsorship remains permitted has sparked a lot of reaction.

«But what’s weird—and what’s allowed—is that you can still promote alcohol. I don’t understand what’s going on. We can promote alcohol, but we can’t promote legal cannabis?« JimTanna said. »…Let content creators live. Let us smoke our weed. Let us promote the products.”

JimTanna adds that these new rules do not prevent streamers from smoking freely on their streams, but that they specifically target the promotion of cannabis-related products.

Previously, Twitch implemented other changes to prevent usernames containing «references to hard drugs, recreational drugs, and drug abuse,» with the exception of «alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana» in February 2022. Amazon itself has already taken steps to update its drug testing policy in September 2021, and also lobbied for support the legalization of cannabis at the federal level in January 2022.

In recent years, other companies have updated their cannabis policies. Twitter recently updated its policies, notably by allowing advertisements for cannabis products, including THC and CBD. Apple has removed and prohibits applications related to vaporization at the Apple Store in November 2019, but an update in 2021 has lifted the ban that prevented cannabis companies from joining the Store.