Medical Marijuana: Super Bowl Ad Rejected By CBS

The medical marijuana ad from Acreage Holdings (ACRGF) has been rejected by CBS from appearing during the Super Bowl.

The cannabis company, which operates in 15 states, created a 60-second ad showing the benefits of medical marijuana for three people that were suffering from different health conditions. The ad calls for viewers to contact their U.S. House and Senate representative to advocate for change and displays the words “the time is now” on the screen at the end of the advertisement, USA Today reported.

The ad also has fine print that says the testimonials are from the individuals depicted in the ad and have not been evaluated by the FDA, according to the news outlet. It also lists marijuana as a Schedule 1 controlled substance and tells viewers that it has not been approved for medical use in some states.

CBS sent an email to the ad firm of Acreage Holdings that said, “CBS will not be accepting any ads for medical marijuana at this time,” USA Today reported.

Acreage Holdings took to Twitter to respond to the network's decision.

In its Twitter post, it wrote, “We're disappointed that we weren't able to get our #SuperBowl PSA approved by @CBS and share our message on the largest national stage. Acreage stands with the 93% of Americans who support medical cannabis. #TheTimeIsNow for change.”

“We’re not particularly surprised that CBS and/or the NFL rejected the content,” Acreage president George Allen told USA Today. “And that is actually less a statement about them and more we think a statement about where we stand right now in this country.

“One of the hardest parts about this business is the ambiguity that we operate within. We do the best we can to navigate a complex fabric of state and federal policy, much of which conflicts.”

Shares of Acreage Holding were down 4.61 percent as of 3:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday.