Insider has long been amused by the fact that the State of Washington has strict limits on pot store on-premise advertising while allowing pot retailers to make unlimited use of billboards. The loophole has been closed. Senate Bill 5131 passed the Washington State house and senate and is sitting on the Governor’s desk. The bill prohibits marijuana billboard advertising:
- Within 1,000 feet of a school, playground, rec center, child care center, park, library or game arcade.
- On buses.
- In airports or train stations.
The bill goes on to place the following restrictions specifically on outdoor advertising:
- Out of home ads can only identify the retail outlet, trade name business location and may not “contain any depictions of marijuana plants, marijuana products or marijuana images which are appealing to children.”
- Out of home advertising is prohibited in arenas, stadiums, shopping malls, farmers markets, arcades.
- There is a mandatory fine of $1,000 against any marijuana retailer which violates the law.
Insider’s take: Expect to see more states adopt regulations like this if they permit marijuana sales. SB 5131 is a vinyl printer’s dream because every marijuana billboard in the state of Washington must be redesigned to comply. The billboard ad accompanying this article, for instance, is illegal because it has a leaf. Thank goodness the fines for non-compliance fall on only on the marijuana retailer. Otherwise some outdoor companies could unsuspectingly break the law and be fined.
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