David Beckham-backed UK firm Cellular Goods has launched a petition urging Google, Facebook, Instagram and others to end the ban on the sale and advertising of CBD and CBG on their platforms.
The company, which specialises in wellness consumer products formulated with lab-made cannabinoids, has joined forces with seven other firms to call for an end to the ban.
They said the policy not only ignores the fact that CBG and CBD-based products can be legally sold in a number of countries, but proliferates misconceptions about cannabinoids and prevents people from accessing verified information about them.
The petition, ‘Stop the ban on advertisement of CBG and CBD products on social media and search engines’, has launched on change.org alongside an open letter signed by the firms advocating for the ban to be lifted.
It reads: “While governments’ attitudes and rules towards CBD and CBG are changing, this has not been reflected in the advertising rules that leading technology and social media companies have in place.
“Indeed, Google and Meta (the owner of Facebook and Instagram)… have unjustly included [them] in their prohibited content – alongside illegal drugs – and have banned the advertisement of these products on their platforms.
“As dominant players in the market and main sources of information for many people, these… companies are limiting people’s access to verified and accurate information about CBD and CBG, reinforcing misconceptions about them and discouraging people from taking advantage of all their wellness benefits.
“Furthermore, by effectively equating CBD and CBG with recreational drugs and applying blanket bans on the sale and advertisement of these products, [they] are limiting businesses’ ability to raise awareness about their brand and advertise their products.
“This is not only affecting the sales opportunities available for legitimate businesses, but it is also limiting consumers’ ability to make informed purchasing decisions.”
Cellular Goods chief executive Anna Chokina added: “CBD and CBG are increasingly accepted by society as well as across multiple jurisdictions worldwide.
“Despite this, some leading technology and social media companies, such as Google and Meta, have implemented blanket bans for cannabinoid brands on their platforms.
“This anachronistic policy is limiting access to verified information about CBG and CBD, as well as affecting legitimate businesses and preventing the sector from reaching its full potential.”
