







Ads Promoting Cannabis Dispensary Air Monday

​Sacramento FOX affiliate KTXL, “FOX40,” on Monday morning ran a paid TV advertisement for a medical marijuana dispensary, thought to be the first time an ad for medical marijuana has ever aired on mainstream television.

The 30-second ad, paid for by Sacramento-based CannaCare and produced by KTXL, features patients delivering testimonials on the benefits of medical marijuana, reports Matthew Keys at FOX40 News . Text at the bottom of the screen indicates that marijuana can be used to relieve symptoms of many illnesses, including diabetes, HIV, hepatitis C and hypertension, among others.

Note that in the TV news report from FOX40 above, reporter Elissa Harrington manages to miss the point when she compares marijuana ads to alcohol and tobacco ads. Neither alcohol nor tobacco is used for medicinal purposes as is marijuana — and, of course, neither alcohol nor tobacco use comes with a doctor’s legal authorization, as does cannabis — so there’s no reason that broadcast rules applying to recreational substances should be applied to medicine.

Marijuana is not shown at all in the TV ad, and the word “marijuana” is never used. Patients interviewed in the ad, along with the narrator, refer to pot as “cannabis.”