Google Expands Ad Policy to Allow CBD Promotions in 2023

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – Beginning January 20, Google will allow CBD and hemp companies to advertise products in California, Colorado, and Puerto Rico, as long as the advertiser’s products have been certified by LegitScript.

As part of an update to the company’s dangerous products and services and healthcare and medicines ad policies, Google announced it will permit the promotion of “FDA-approved pharmaceuticals containing cannabidiol (CBD) and topical, hemp-derived CBD products with THC content of 0.3 percent or less.” The search giant also will remove CBD from its unapproved pharmaceuticals and supplements list.

Ads promoting other CBD-based products such as inhalants, food additives, and supplements will not be permitted. Some advertising platforms, including YouTube Masthead, will not be allowed to serve CBD ads.

According to Google’s advertising policies help section, potential advertisers must provide product samples for compliance testing to ensure legal THC limits and submit a third-party certificate of analysis to LegitScript. Certification provider LegitScript charges a $650 application fee and a $1,000 annual monitoring fee per product, with bulk discounts available for more than six products. Businesses with a catalog containing only certified products also may apply for website certification with a one-time $800 fee per website and an annual monitoring fee of $1,600.

Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc., has seen its stock price continue to plummet from its most recent high of nearly $143 per share in early April to $86 per share at the end of December. While the search engine’s year-over-year advertising revenue in 2021 was up 42 percent at $209.49 billion, revenue was down quarter-to-quarter in the company’s Q3 2022 earnings results.