Medical marijuana commercials: Could pot spots spread to local TV? See one ad here

Medical marijuana ads are everywhere these days, from Denver billboards to local radio spots. But is Colorado ready for MMJ television commercials? That day could come soon, since what's reported to be the first-ever marijuana commercial on regular TV is now airing on Sacramento, California station KTXL...

By Joel Warner

September 3, 2010

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Medical marijuana ads are everywhere these days, from Denver billboards to local radio spots.

But is Colorado ready for MMJ television commercials? That day could come soon, since what's reported to be the first-ever marijuana commercial on regular TV is now airing on Sacramento, California station KTXL.

The thirty-second spot features people extolling the benefits of MMJ on behalf of the local dispensary CannaCare. Produced by KTXL, the ad captured the attention of Time magazine just a few days after it first aired.

Since proposals to restrict dispensary advertising were eliminated from Colorado's new medical marijuana regulations before they passed last spring, there's nothing to stop similar TV spots from popping up in Colorado. Though if they're going to be successful around here, they're going to need to feature just the right mix of panache and sophistication.

In other words, time to call Dealin' Doug. Here's the CannaCare commercial:

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Joel Warner is a former staff writer for Westword and International Business Times. He's also written for WIRED, Men's Journal, Men's Health, Bloomberg Businessweek, Popular Science, Slate, Grantland and many other publications. He's co-author of the 2014 book The Humor Code: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny, published by Simon & Schuster.

Contact: Joel Warner