Cannabis may be regulated to its detriment. Those who set and enforce these rules do so to serve the public, but perhaps it is time for a rethink. I have seen states go through identical cycles after a decade of covering the developing cannabis industry. As they come online with legal weed, many focus on initiatives that ensure products are clean and safe to smoke, along with two other worries. Every legalization election cycle, people come out of the woodwork to talk about driving under the influence and child safety.
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Law enforcement, politicians, and a bunch of opinion editorial writers have shared concerns that adult-use, or even medical, weed would increase the number of high drivers. This has been disproven in various data research studies but pervades as a first-thought worry when the legalization buzz begins. They are also consistent with the teachings of The Simpsons’ Mrs. Lovejoy’s catchphrase, “Won’t somebody think of the children?”
Have cannabis advertising regulations gone too far?
Maryland recently fined dispensary Curio Wellness $8000 for advertising at events that were not age-restricted. The shop did not supply cannabis at the Hot August Music Festival or the 2023 Curio Wellness 5K. However, advertising at events where less than 85 percent of eventgoers are over 21 is illegal.
Curio had a branded canopy at the music festival and “advertised activities for children.” As for the fun run, the wellness-focused dispensary has been funding the Baltimore Running Festival for years. It was actually named after the weed shop.
The October 2023 event advertised a Kids Fun Zone with inflatables and activities. Now, I am a mother and medical cannabis patient. I also write about almost every aspect of the plant for my job. A free, community-focused, kid-friendly space that keeps my little dude occupied and engaged sounds like a dream. It would not bother me that the fun is sponsored by cannabis. In fact, it is a plus.
Parenting with cannabis in the community
People who do not work in the industry or utilize pot for medical or recreational use may not feel the same as me. In fact, the regulations are probably in place so that children do not get curious about weed and start seeking out that branding. At least, that is what my logical brain tells me. As a mom who wears her favorite Sackville dad hat at the playground and, according to my husband, wafts a terpy musk as I enter a room, I beg to differ.
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My child is exposed to cannabis branding regularly, from PR packages that arrive to clothes that I wear. He also cruises by my cabinets of safely stored bongs and rigs, aware that they are mom’s tools, not toys. I keep everything locked away and out of his reach, but I do not hide my medicine or career from him. He has also been constantly taught about weed safety signs on every edible that enters the home before it hits the lockbox.
I’m confident that if he were enjoying a bounce house that said the name of a local cannabis cultivator, he would solely delight in the bouncing. He would not be curious about how to get his hands on something that had the same typeface as the inflatable slide he just whizzed down. And if he was, I hope that the open-faced way I guide him to experience the world inspires him to ask me rather than seek it out on his own.
Those concerned that seeing a brand might make their kids smoke weed may consider putting that fear into their own cannabis education. After grasping more about the modern industry and products, parents may feel more empowered to entertain open, curious conversations with their children about them. Hopefully, family conversations are stronger than branded tents.
Stopping a cannabis dispensary from throwing their money into a free, fun, family-friendly day may not be serving the community. As industries age like fine wine, it is time to own up that some of the initial regulations are not working. Cannabis advertising is complicated, but it may be time to let weed out of marketing jail.
