CBS Rejects 2019 Super Bowl Commercial from Medical Marijuana Company

Acreage Holdings, a marijuana investment company, said CBS rejected its proposed commercial for Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3.

On Tuesday, Craig Giammona of Bloomberg reported Acreage wanted to highlight two success stories of medical cannabis in what it considered a "call to political action" rather than self-promotion, but firm president George Allen said CBS refused the ad.

"We certainly thought there was a chance," Allen said. "You strike when the chance of your strike has the probability of success—this isn't a doomed mission."

Allen told Giammona the company believed reaching the massive Super Bowl audience could've helped "create an advocacy campaign for constituents who are being lost in the dialogue" about medical marijuana.

The commercial pitched to CBS featured a military veteran with combat injuries and a child with seizures.

Acreage told Bloomberg it was prepared to pay the high cost of a Super Bowl ad if the commercial was accepted.

Brian Steinberg of Variety reported CBS, which as of Jan. 10 had "scattered availability" of ad space in the first half and fourth quarter for the clash between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams, was asking between $5.1 million and $5.3 million for a 30-second spot.

As of November 2018, 10 states had legalized the recreational use of marijuana, while 23 others allowed for the use of the drug for medical purposes.