• Twitter has announced that it is loosening restrictions when it comes to advertising cannabis on its platform.
• The move comes as Twitter looks to stop the exodus of advertisers.
• It is also the first social media platform to welcome such ads in the United States.

Twitter has announced a rather interesting change to its ad policy, with advertisers hawking cannabis now allowed to do so. There are of course some caveats, but this latest move is a loosening of restrictions when it comes to cannabis ads by Twitter.

It also makes the platform the first to do so in the United States, which is of course a significant change for that industry.

“As of today, in certain US states we have taken measures to relax our Cannabis Ads policy to create more opportunities for responsible cannabis marketing – the largest step forward by any social media platform. Going forward, Twitter is allowing advertisers to promote brand preference and informational cannabis-related content for CBD, THC, and cannabis-related products and services,” wrote Twitter’s Alexa Alianiello in a blog post.

“The cannabis space on Twitter is fun and engaging with users Tweeting about their experiences using cannabis – whether medicinally, for wellness, or recreation – as well as recommending brands, products, and retail locations. The conversation also reflects where the cannabis industry is currently heading: legislative/policy reform, business development, and community impact,” she added.

Looking through the changes, it appears as if directly promoting or offering the sale of cannabis is still not permitted on the platform, with the exception of a handful of CBD products. As such, expect ads to be targeted more towards lifestyle, than the actual selling. That said, it will be interesting to see how well Twitter will monitor and enforce its latest policy change.

While it remains to be seen what this change will mean for the bottom line of Twitter, a shift in policy does showcase the need for the platform to court advertisers, many of which were perturbed by the actions of Elon Musk when he took ownership of the company.

This likely won’t be enough to balance out the loss of other major advertiser spending on Twitter, so we could see further relaxing of policies down the line. For now though, expect a 420-related joke from Musk on the matter.