A reader alerted me to this bit of news—Bud Barn, a purveyor of ‘Premium Cannabis Products Made (and taxed) in Vermont,’ is advertising on Keene, NH, radio. Even if they are trying to capture the ears of Vermonters who work in Western New Hampshire, to quote a different local, weed ain’t legal here.
Related: Legal Weed in California Leads to More Marijuana Enforcement (not less).
New Hampshire has a medical marijuana program. Sentences for possession have been reduced. But it is still illegal, and you can’t cross the border with it – that’s a federal crime.
- In general, the use, possession, and sale of marijuana and its derivatives are illegal in New Hampshire, and it is the only state in New England where this applies.
- Marijuana is legally available to people with certain medical conditions, and there are limits to the amount that qualified patients may obtain.
- Recreational marijuana is still illegal in New Hampshire, although it was decriminalized in 2017.
- The laws also apply to cannabis-related products such as edibles, tinctures, and topical ointments, and to the sale or possession of drug-related paraphernalia.
So what gives with the marijuana radio? I’ve no clue and have yet to ask anyone who might know except you folks. You are no less informed or connected, so consider it a homework assignment. How can a Keene radio station sell airtime for a product from a neighboring state (that cannot legally travel across state lines?) and is illegal in this state?
I’m not passing judgment on whether they should be able to advertise in NH or not, but the reader had some intriguing observations.
“How many kids and teenagers are hearing this blasted on our radio every 15 minutes?”
I don’t believe our radio waves should be polluted by forcing us to be subjected to the promotion of “Recreating as you choose” using a product that is currently illegal in NH- in a state dealing with a drug crisis.
Afterall, there are clear reasons it’s still illegal here- so why are allowing the use of an illegal drug product to be advertised here?
Legalization here is increasingly likely if someone can convince the NH State Senate how the state may best profit, thus my continued objection (a recent bill would have created state-run dispensaries). But I am otherwise indifferent to what adults do in their spare time, tempered by certain realities that make legalized drug use a bad idea (here and here for examples).
There are numerous potential mental health issues from long-term or excessive use. And I have always had serious concerns about state management of the commodity as a revenue source, more recently explored here. And, of course, the Fed’s ongoing prohibition on legal gun ownership and marijuana use, to which I sense they are a bit clingy despite recent trial balloons to the contrary.
But that’s all a side conversation. An out-of-state marijuana vendor is advertising on Keene radio. For all the reasons mentioned above, what’s the deal with that?
Update: “Because of federal prohibition, marketing channels overseen by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are off limits for cannabis brands, including radio and television broadcast.”
Ruh-Roh, Raggy!