Should YouTube do away with marijuana ban in masthead?
Google's YouTube bans election, alcohol and prescription drug ads from prominent ad space
Writer’s Note on January 9, 2023: YouTube has relaxed its rules in regard to marijuana. Additionally, in 2023, 21 states have legalized the adult use of marijuana for recreational purposes.
As of yesterday, YouTube stopped accepting ads in its masthead (graphics found at the top of a website) that focused on alcohol sales, gambling, elections and politics, and prescription drugs. According to its instructions, “Content that promotes or features the sale, use, or abuse of illegal drugs, regulated legal drugs or substances, or other dangerous products is not suitable for advertising.”
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However, recreational marijuana is legal in approximately 17 states (along with Washington D.C. and Guam), and medical marijuana is legal in 36 states. However, at the federal level, marijuana is still classified as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. The U.S. News & World Report confirms that the “government believes it to have no medical use and a high potential for abuse. Cultivating, distributing and possessing marijuana violates federal drug laws.”