Nation's First Marijuana TV Ad to Air in Denver

It will run before Jimmy Kimmel's show
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 17, 2015 4:55 PM CDT
Nation's First Marijuana TV Ad to Air in Denver
A marijuana plant grows at a greenhouse in Otsego, Minn.   (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP)

People in Denver settling in to watch Jimmy Kimmel's show Monday night will see a little bit of television history—the nation's first TV ad for a marijuana company. As Cannabist reports, it will be a short spot for a company called Neos that sells vape pens with cannabis oil. Because of rules that forbid showing pot products, viewers won't actually see those pens—instead they'll see shots of people enjoying the outdoors in Colorado, reinforcing the image of a "cannabis consumer who is active and healthy," says an exec with marketing firm Cannabrand.

The spot will air after the local news and before Kimmel's show, a slot picked because a review of Nielsen data showed that 90% of those watching TV at that time were over 21, notes MarketWatch. The station running the ad is KMGH, which explains its decision: “The world is changing, evolving and we need to constantly take a look at things." (Also in the news today: a study showing that marijuana helps broken bones heal.)

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