Cannabis marketing
The ad networks say no.
The ad networks say no.
Your growth doesn’t have to
April’s rescheduling changed the law, not the ad policy. We grow licensed brands through the channels that stayed open
Why cannabis is different
You can't just buy your way to the top
Cannabis is one of the fastest-growing industries in the country — and one of the hardest to advertise. The usual playbook of pouring money into Google and Meta ads simply isn't available to you. That's not a dead end. It's an opening.
The brands winning right now own the organic channels their competitors ignore. That's exactly where we go to work.
Paid ads are off-limitsMost major ad platforms restrict or ban cannabis advertising outright.
Compliance is everythingRules vary by state and platform, and the penalties for getting it wrong are real.
Audiences must be age-gatedEverything has to be targeted and gated responsibly to the right adult audience.
Shoppers research online firstThey search, compare menus, and read reviews long before they walk in.
April 2026
Rescheduling changed a lot. It didn't change advertising.
If someone has told you cannabis was rescheduled and Google Ads are back on the table, they're half right and it's the expensive half
What changed
- On 23 April 2026, FDA-approved marijuana products and products under a qualifying state medical marijuana licence were placed in Schedule III.
- A broader rescheduling process opened, with an expedited hearing running from 29 June 2026.
- Schedule III status has real implications for research and for tax treatment under 280E.
What didn't
- Recreational and adult-use cannabis remains Schedule I, as does anything outside an FDA-approved product or a state medical licence.
- Google, Meta and the major platforms still restrict cannabis advertising. Their policies are commercial decisions, written for a national audience, and they don't move automatically with federal scheduling.
- State advertising rules are unchanged — age gating, audience thresholds, proximity restrictions and claim limits all still apply exactly as before.
Two things that end businesses, not campaigns
Health claims. Saying a product treats, cures, prevents or diagnoses anything makes it an unapproved drug in the FDA's view — the agency has issued warning letters to cannabis and CBD companies for precisely that, and it's also among the fastest routes to a licence problem. Educational content, never outcome claims.
Your email platform. Several mainstream providers prohibit cannabis in their acceptable use policies and will terminate an account, occasionally taking the list with it. We build on cannabis-friendly platforms from day one, so you're not rebuilding an audience you already earned.
Sources: DEA marijuana rescheduling actions · DOJ announcement, April 2026. Federal and state cannabis law is moving quickly — treat this as a summary current at time of writing, and verify anything material with your counsel. We don't provide legal advice.
Your competitors can't buy their way past you either
Which makes organic the only field, and the first one to take it seriously wins it
What we do
The channels that actually grow cannabis brands
We skip the doors that are closed and go all-in on the ones that compound — building organic visibility and owned audiences you keep for good
Cannabis SEO
Rank for the searches that drive real foot traffic and orders, not vanity keywords.
Local search & GBP
Own "dispensary near me" and your Google Business Profile across every location.
Weedmaps & Leafly
Optimize your menus, listings, reviews, and deals where cannabis shoppers browse.
Content marketing
Educational, compliant content that builds authority and pulls in organic traffic.
Email & SMS
Opt-in, compliant campaigns on the owned channels that bring customers back.
Website & CRO
Fast, age-gated sites built to turn browsers into orders and reservations.
Reputation management
Generate reviews, monitor sentiment, and build the trust new customers look for.
Organic social
Community-building content that grows your brand without relying on paid ads.
Compliance first
Growth that keeps you on the right side of the line
In this industry one careless campaign can cost you a licence, not just a budget. Every strategy is built around the rules in your markets — and anything uncertain goes past your compliance counsel before it publishes, not after.
State by state
Strategy tailored to the regulations of every market you operate in.
Age-gated audiences
Targeting and gating built for the right adult audience, responsibly.
No prohibited claims
We steer clear of unsupported health or medical claims, full stop.
Platform policies
We track what each platform actually allows — which is set independently of federal law and changes without notice.
Who we help
Built for every corner of the industry
From a single storefront to a multi-state operator, if you're licensed and looking to grow, we can help
Dispensaries
CBD & hemp brands
Delivery services
Multi-location & MSOs
Product & grower brands
Ancillary & B2B
How we work
A clear path to compliant growth
No guesswork and no risky shortcuts — just a proven sequence that turns a restricted market into your advantage
01
Audit & compliance review
We map your market, competitors, and the rules you operate under to find the real opportunities.
02
Strategy
A channel plan focused on SEO, local, directories, and owned audiences built for your goals.
03
Build & optimize
We execute — listings, content, site, and campaigns — and tune everything against the data.
04
Grow & report
Transparent reporting on traffic, rankings, and leads, with a plan that compounds month over month.
A partner, not a vendor
Real marketers, real results
We treat marketing like a game of chess, not checkers. The same team and track record behind hundreds of campaigns goes to work on your cannabis brand — building visibility that lasts.
Get a free audit
6.7×Average ROAS
100+Global clients
282K+Leads generated
5.0Google rating
Good questions
Cannabis marketing, answered
Wondering what's possible for your brand? Ask us on a free audit — nothing to lose.
Cannabis was rescheduled. Can we run Google Ads now
No. In April 2026 FDA-approved marijuana products and state-licensed medical marijuana products moved to Schedule III, while recreational cannabis stayed in Schedule I. None of that changed advertising policy at Google, Meta or the other major platforms — those are commercial decisions set independently of federal scheduling. Assume paid search and paid social remain closed until a platform says otherwise in writing.
Why do the ad platforms ban cannabis at all
Because their policies are written for a national audience across many jurisdictions, and they pick the most restrictive position rather than managing state-by-state variation. Platform policy is a business decision, not a legal requirement — which is why it doesn't automatically follow changes in federal law.
What actually works instead
Organic and owned channels: SEO, Google Business Profile and the map pack, Weedmaps and Leafly, educational content, reviews, and an email and SMS list you control. These compound rather than stopping the day a budget stops — which turns the advertising restriction into an advantage for whoever commits first.
Can we make health or medical claims about our products
No. Claiming a product treats, cures, prevents or diagnoses a condition makes it an unapproved drug in the FDA's view, and the agency has issued warning letters to cannabis and CBD companies for exactly that. It's also among the fastest routes to a licence problem. We keep content educational and outcome claims out of it.
Will our email platform shut us down
Several mainstream providers prohibit cannabis in their acceptable use policies and will terminate accounts — sometimes without warning, sometimes taking the list with them. We build on cannabis-friendly platforms from the start, so you're not rebuilding an audience you already earned.
What are the rules for cannabis SMS marketing
Express written consent before the first message, a clear opt-out on every message, and carrier registration for the campaign. Carriers apply their own content filtering to cannabis traffic on top of TCPA obligations, so messages need to be built for that reality rather than tested against it.
Do the rules differ by state
Substantially. States vary on permitted channels, required age-gating and audience composition thresholds, proximity restrictions near schools and youth facilities, warning language, and whether promotions and discounts are allowed at all. Strategy is built per market, never copied across.
Do we need age gating on our website
Yes, and most states require it. It needs implementing so it doesn't wreck your SEO — a badly built gate can block search engines from your content entirely. That's a common and expensive mistake on dispensary sites.
Can you guarantee we stay compliant
No — and neither can anyone else. Rules differ by state, change frequently, and your licence conditions are specific to you. What we do is build campaigns around the current rules in your markets, route anything uncertain past your compliance counsel before it publishes, and tell you when something you've asked for is a bad idea.
Free consultation
Grow your cannabis brand the right way
Tell us about your business and your market. We'll show you exactly where the growth is hiding — and how to capture it compliantly, without depending on ads you can't run. Nothing to lose.
Corunit Media Corp provides marketing services for licensed cannabis and hemp businesses and works within all applicable federal, state, and platform regulations. This page is informational and is not legal advice.