High Country: New cannabis industry coalition launches ‘Stop Censoring CBD’ campaign

Amid the ongoing battle between cannabis and social media, the industry is up against a new marketing challenge.

The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA), a non-profit trade organization that monitors S.H.A.F.T. (sex, hate, alcohol, firearms and tobacco) content and reports violations, recently added CBD to its list of decidedly offensive letters. Under the new designation, CBD companies are no longer permitted to use SMS messaging to promote their products.

In response to this classification, a coalition of cannabis companies has formed to spark change through the campaign “Stop Censoring CBD.” Led by the B-Corp status CBD brand Prima, its first course of action is through a Change.org petition with a goal of 10,000 signatures to #freeCBD by the end of August.

“The classification of CBD as S.H.A.F.T content is not only inaccurate, but it’s unjust,” shared “Stop Censoring CBD” founder and Prima co-founder, Jessica Assaf. “As CBD activists and brand leaders, we have created this campaign to bring awareness to this discriminatory policy and the overarching issue of CBD being poorly regulated. It’s time for the FDA. and FCC to take action and acknowledge the therapeutic nature of this legal plant compound.”

Though cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-intoxicating compound found in hemp that is celebrated as a natural remedy — known for aiding better sleep and reducing stress to helping keep skin healthy — the FDA has yet to develop any clear guidelines or policies regarding hemp-derived CBD, despite its relatively widespread availability and the fact that congress legalized hemp and hemp-derived products in 2018.

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Katie Shapiro can be reached at katie@katieshapiromedia.com and followed on Twitter @bykatieshapiro.