Producers of non-ingestible CBD products saw advertising rules loosened on Facebook in the U.S. after parent company Meta overhauled policies for its social media platforms. The changes also apply to Meta-owned Instagram and the recently opened Thread.
“We are renaming our advertising policy Hemp & Related Products to CBD & Related Products and allowing the promotion of legally permissible, non-ingestible CBD in the U.S., with some restrictions,” the company said in a statement.
Meta said it has also updated policies for the advertising of hemp fiber and food seed products by removing a requirement for written pre-approval. While CBD ads are limited to the U.S. market, fiber and food advertising is allowed in the U.S., Canada and Mexico provided the products comply with local laws and rules.
CBD policies
The policies presumably prohibit advertising for CBD extracts, gummies and other forms of the compound taken orally, and apply only to topical products generally sold as health and beauty aids.
Under the policy changes for CBD, made last month but announced publicly on Tuesday:
- Products offered must be under the federal limit of 0.3% THC.
- Advertising may not contain any claims that the products can “treat, cure, prevent, mitigate or diagnose a disease or medical condition in humans or animals.”
- Businesses must receive prior written approval from Meta to place advertisements.
- Ads may not target consumers under 18.
Also, companies may now run hemp-related ads that “educate, advocate, or give public service announcements related to CBD and related products.”
Certification
The topical CBD products must be certified through the payment compliance company Legitscript, which said advertisers will be subject to its existing CBD certification program, which is also used by Google.
Meta said it keeps in place a ban on ads that promote THC products or “cannabis products containing related psychoactive components.”
