Cannabis & Shroom Ads Banned On New York MTA Subways, Busses, & Trains

Recreational cannabis is now legal in New York, but the state is still making various updates on the rules and regulations. The latest was the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), which banned all cannabis and psychedelic advertisements on subways, buses, and trains.

Marijuana Moment first discovered the story, and they noted that the advertising policy update follows the MTA’s recent settlement. The case surrounds a sexual wellness brand dubbed Dame, and it’s been well underway for the past three years.

In this particular case, Dame is now allowed to advertise their products, but with specific restrictions, these include the decision to keep weed and psychedelics off-limits. A statement released by the MTA said the new policy contains specific provisions that were integrated into past policies with some amendments. But the new policy “adds new restrictions based on changed circumstances.”

The MTA gave the example of “changed circumstances” regarding the recent legalization of recreational cannabis products in New York State, which is why they’ve created the “revised Advertising Policy” to explicitly prohibit advertising such products.

The statements concluded that the MTA would “not accept any advertisement for display in or on the property” if it falls within one or more of the following categories:

• Promotes tobacco, nicotine, or any tobacco-related or nicotine-related products
• Promotes any alcohol products
• Promotes cannabis or any cannabis-related products
• Promotes hallucinogenic mushrooms or hallucinogenic mushroom-related products

It’s surprising to see the state of New York have some of the most strict anti-smoking laws nationwide. The state had the Smoke-Free Air Act in effect in 2003. With further legislation since the act was established, the state went on to ban smoking in all workplaces, bars, small restaurants and, most outdoor venues.

That said, the city of New York isn’t new to marijuana and psychedelics, and it’s more than common to get a whiff of weed strolling through the densely populated city. The same goes for the rest of the state. However, the current marijuana law in the New York state already prohibits cannabis advertising in public transit vehicles and stations, so the MTA’s recent policy change is a bit confusing.

This isn’t the first time New York has released some head-turning news regarding policy changes. Since the state legalized recreational cannabis use in March of this year, they’ve also updated the policy to no longer test employees for cannabis, which was the first state in the Union to do so.