Should YouTube do away with marijuana ban in masthead?
Google's YouTube bans election, alcohol and prescription drug ads from prominent ad space
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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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As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a percentage from purchases with my referral links. I know some consumers are choosing to boycott Amazon for its DEI removal. However, after thinking about this thoroughly, I choose to continue promoting intriguing products from small businesses, women-owned businesses and (specifically) Black-owned businesses who still feature their items on Amazon. All five of my Substack publications now include a MINIMUM of one product sold by a Black-owned business. (I have visited the seller’s official site, not just the Amazon Black-owned logo, to verify this.) If you still choose to boycott, I 100% respect that decision.
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.”