Acreage Holdings had planned to run an advertisement during the 2019 Super Bowl to promote the benefits of medicinal cannabis and encourage people to advocate for federal policy change. The ad presented a few notable success stories of people whose lives had significantly improved with medical marijuana use.
CBS declined the advertisement after receiving the storyboards, stating that the broadcasting company does not currently accept cannabis-related advertising due to the plant’s Schedule I status.
Though disappointed by the rejection, Acreage Holdings CEO Kevin Murphy is optimistic about the future of cannabis in the United States.
“We don’t begrudge CBS, we understand that it remains federally illegal in the United States, it is still a Schedule I drug,” Murphy said in an interview with CNBC. “A Schedule I drug is defined as having no medicinal value, but in fact, 95 percent of the United States believes that cannabis should be available for medical use.”
Murphy said that the ad was a call to action for people of the United States to contact their representatives and encourage them to pass the appropriate laws and make cannabis available for people across the country who need it, calling it a silver bullet.
“I believe 2019 is going to be the year, I believe that it’s going to take place through the STATES Act, and the STATES Act is a bill that essentially strengthens the Tenth Amendment,” said Murphy. “I think it’s going to take place in this country sooner than later.”
Murphy said that the bill would enable states to operate as legitimate businesses, including having access to banking and obtaining a fair tax code. In December, Senator Cory Gardner [R-CO] said that the STATES Act had presidential support.
