Weed companies find hilarious ad regulations loophole in adopting highways
Colorado drivers are currently commuting down what must be some of the most lit and spotless highways in the country. And it's all thanks to some clever cannabis companies.
The cannabis industry has been in a perpetual arms race against the strict and ever-evolving regulations that govern their substance, which is still illegal in the United States at the federal level. But the 51 Colorado weed businesses reportedly using the Adopt-a-Highway program to circumvent the state's strict advertising rules surely take the cake (or flowers).
"[The signs are] often placed 'strategically' near exits potential customers can take to get to said business."
On Friday, Feb. 14, the Denver Post reported that the cannabis industry had become an unexpected top patron of the state highway infrastructure, "accounting for cleanup on two-thirds of the roads maintained by Clean Colorado," an official program from the Department of Transportation.
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Every sponsor that adopts a highway gets an "acknowledgment sign." Though the CDOT website insists they're not intended to be used as ads, that's evidently exactly what these weed shops are using them for. Though only the company name (like Northern Lights Cannabis Co.) is on the sign, they're often placed "strategically" near exits potential customers can take to get to said business.
It's a brilliant loophole, since the laws that govern these highway acknowledgment signs are separate from the laws that restrict weed businesses from advertising.
Given the sheer scope of the cannabis highway takeover, we imagine most Colorado drivers have taken notice, too.
As it stands, cannabis companies have a reach that "spans about 198 miles, or 66 percent of the roads actively sponsored" by the Clean Colorado program. The other biggest industry sponsors (ad agencies, pest control, plumbing, and real estate) only make up 13 percent of the other adopted roads combined.
Colorado laws restrict the cannabis industry from advertising on TV, radio, or in print. The rare exception is made if proof can be provided that the audience receiving the ad would be predominantly 21 years old (the state's legal age for cannabis consumption).
But we prefer this route much more, since it's essentially a doing double the public service.
Topics Cannabis
Jess is an LA-based culture critic who covers intimacy in the digital age, from sex and relationship to weed and all media (tv, games, film, the web). Previously associate editor at Kill Screen, you can also find her words on Vice, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Vox, and others. She is a Brazilian-Swiss American immigrant with a love for all things weird and magical.
