Ask a Stoner: Mobile Marijuana Ads in Denver

Westword

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Dear Stoner: I understand billboard advertising for cannabis is not allowed in Denver, but what about trucks with signs on them? Something more like a vehicle wrap, not a static billboard.
John D.

Dear John: Cannabis legalization rules definitely have loopholes, but it looks like Denver has addressed mobile advertising. Per the city's municipal code, “Any billboard or other outdoor general advertising device as defined by the zoning code” and “any sign mounted on a vehicle” are prohibited from advertising marijuana businesses, as well as anything promoting the sale of retail or medical marijuana — and that prohibition includes vehicle wraps, according to the city. 

click to enlarge

Jacqueline Collins

That's not the case across Colorado, though. State laws implemented last year now let marijuana companies advertise outdoors using billboards, though local jurisdictions in which those billboards are located must opt in first. Denver hasn’t done that yet, and probably won’t in the near future. Although Denver City Council is about to consider a bill that would expand local marijuana options regarding marijuana delivery and hospitality, the only suggested changes for advertising pertain to mobile marijuana lounges and brand apparel. So unless your vehicles are limos or buses, you might want to look elsewhere.

Send questions to [email protected].