Ban cannabis billboards

Nowadays when you drive down the street all you can see are brightly colored billboards and signs advertising almost everything. They are all over. The main advertisement I see is for cannabis shops. According to the National Library of Medicine the ban against tobacco billboards took place in 1971.

I think that the ban should be updated and not allow cannabis to have billboards either. “… licensed cannabis producers, processors and retailers ‘may not advertise cannabis or cannabis-infused products in any form through any medium whatsoever within one-thousand feet of the perimeter of a school ground, playground, recreation center or facility, child care center, public park or library, or any game arcade admission to which is not restricted to persons aged twenty-one years or older.’ The fine is $1,000 for each violation.” According to the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board those are the majority of the restrictions for cannabis advertisement.

There needs to be more standardized bans and laws put into place to limit the amount of advertisement. For billboards they may not use movie or cartoon characters, cannot contain plant or product images, and must identify the purpose and nature of the business. That still leaves a lot of leniency for the businesses to create appealing billboards.

The bans and laws should be modern and not allow cannabis to have billboards. There are too many and are everywhere. We shouldn’t have to worry about seeing them in public places.

Elissa Bruner

Spokane