Earlier this week, news broke that CBS had rejected a Super Bowl ad promoting medical marijuana.
Now, the entire ad has been released, and many viewers are struck by how emotional and moving it is. Some are even suggesting that CBS was wrong to turn down the 60-second commercial.
In the commercial, a young boy suffering from seizures, a man who was addicted to opioids, and an amputee war veteran all discuss how medical marijuana gave them relief.
The ad encourages the federal legalization of marijuana, which is still a hotly debated topic for people on both sides of the country's political divide, and is described as a PSA instead of an ad for a specific company or product.
Acreage Holdings, a business connected to the medical marijuana industry in a variety of ways, was ready to pay $5 million for the highly coveted Super Bowl spot, before it was turned down by CBS.
The network reportedly does not allow marijuana ads on the air, even while medical marijuana is legal to some degree in 33 states.
George Allen, Acreage's CEO, said he was "not surprised" that the ad was turned down, just disappointed.
"And that is actually less a statement about [CBS and the NFL] and more we think a statement about where we stand right now in this country," he said in a statement.
Ironically, several NFL players have admitted to using medical marijuana to treat the pain caused by their their full contact sport. Green Bay Packer Martellus Bennett even guessed that 89% of players use marijuana.
More than 100 million viewers regularly tune in to the Super Bowl, so a 30-second ad during the big game can be incredibly lucrative for a company, even when that spot costs more than $5 million.
The coveted time spots also offer the chance to change a lot of minds,so we're sure another medical marijuana will try to land one next year.
