The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency might just be the next agency to consider banning the advertisement of cannabis. It is common that for any new product, you would see that it is promoted over a period of time to get more attention. The same wave is happening to cannabis. Since it was legalized in the state, many people have now used the opportunity to advertise their products. You could see the ads on buses and other places.
The board’s agency will have to vote on where they have to ban the marijuana adds from the municipality. If banned, then marijuana will be on the prohibited list of commodities such as firearms, tobacco, and alcohol that currently are not allowed to be advertised freely. Currently, there are about 130 medical marijuana advertisements on the buses, streetcars, and Muni shelters. The problem is that they have always attracted a negative feedback from the people who view them.
Several people have submitted their complaints to the agency about these ads. They feel that the cannabis related ads can be irritating and disturbing, especially for parents who are traveling with kids. With the chances of introducing the recreational marijuana soon, it could even be worse. Now, rather than medical marijuana ads, you would see people advertising their recreational pot. Muni’s spokesperson has said that the local regulator and state are looking to put a ban on the ads for 6 months pending other directives.
Since the San Francisco mayor Ed Lee agrees with the proposal, we could as well as say it is done. He claims that there is no need to advertise marijuana to the kids. If the pot ads have to be set up, then they have to be 1000 feet from schools or any other place children could gather. Such a suggestion might be tough when it comes to having ads on buses. The buses would often pass near schools or playgrounds with kids. It would be easier if there was a total ban on the ads rather than giving them a distance limit.
The major companies likely to be affected include Eaze, Urban Pharm, and Green Cross. These companies have already paid for the ad space on the buses, so what happens if the ban is passed? It is estimated that the agency’s total ad contract is around $19.6 million. The SFMTA has not disclosed the amount of revenue these ads on cannabis generate, but you can be sure it is huge. There will be a potential loss in revenue once the ban starts.
The agency further claimed that only the ads that already running will remain active for the contract’s remaining time. Eaze as a company, has always gone mental with making sure that the residents know their existence in the city. There are buses with wrap around ads on the entire bus. Unfortunately, they will also have to run until the contract they had signed with the bus company to end.
These ads would have worked better if they were designed like those of alcohol. You are supposed to be advised to use medical marijuana responsibly just like alcohol.
