Such as in the cases like those of two young girls in Pittsburgh (where legislation is now pending that would allow medical marijuana to be used), ages 12 and 15, reported recently by NBC News.
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However, KATU general manager John Tamerlano told WW this afternoon that the network has decided not to air the commercial due to concerns about the unprecedented nature of the ad.
“After further review, we have decided to step back”, said Tamerlano. Online outlets like Google, Facebook and Twitter refuse to accept advertising from legal cannabis businesses, and other than a PSA which ran briefly on a NASCAR jumbotron before getting pulled under pressure from prohibitionist groups, essentially no video advertisements for cannabis have seen the light of day outside of YouTube.
Tamerlano clarified that network officials were aware of the content of the ad when they agreed to air it, but decided that it was acceptable strictly as a business commercial. When it became clear earlier today that other media sources were reporting it as the first-ever marijuana commercial, KATU reversed course.
Anthony Johnson, executive director of the Yes on 91 campaign that led to legalized recreational marijuana in the state, and a founder of the Oregon Cannabis Industry Association, says Portland’s KATU dropped the commercial, mostly because of all the hoopla surrounding its “historic” significance. With estimates of around $100 million plus in annual revenues, driven in part by a now still emerging health tourism-centric regulatory structure, as well as the never-ending influx of people from all over the world who flock to the global entertainment Mecca that is Las Vegas every year, Nevada could be one of the fastest growing national markets for cannabis, medical or otherwise. Cannabis may be federally illegal to possess, cultivate, distribute, etc., but it’s not illegal to talk about.
But starting next year, out-of-staters are out of luck when it comes to obtaining an Oregon medical marijuana card.
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ABC affiliate KATU in Portland was set to air an ad for the Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference (OMMBC) on Wednesday. If you are serious about networking and learning how to succeed in the cannabis industry, this event is going to be a must.
