First Cannabis Advertisements Appear In Times Square NYE Celebration

This week marked the first time cannabis and CBD companies were allowed to advertise on the electronic billboards that light up the Times Square New Year’s Eve party, the Denver Business Journal reports.

Elixinol — a Broomfield, Colorado-based CBD company that distributes to 40 countries and is traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange — led the pack of cannabis and cannabis-adjacent companies who appeared on the historic billboards Monday night.

“A year ago, we were denied advertising in Times Square. What a difference a year makes — we join the entire hemp community in celebrating what’s to come in 2019.” — Chris Husong, Director of Sales and Marketing for Elixinol, in a statement

Elixinol was joined by other cannabis industry players Cannabis Network Media, Curved Papers, My Bud Vase, MTracTech, and Restorative Botanicals in securing the coveted advertising placement, according to a press release.

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In 2014, an effort by Weedmaps to be the first cannabis company to advertise at the Times Square New Year’s Eve party was shut down by the event’s anchor tenant, CBS Broadcast.

President Donald Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill into law last month, which officially legalized industrial hemp and its derivatives — including CBD products.

Meanwhile, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has committed to passing a cannabis legalization law during the 2019 legislative session; New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he supports the move.