The Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) wishes to be recorded in support of H.157/ S.94, An Act relative to prohibiting billboard advertisements of non-prescription marijuana.
The MMS is a professional association of over 24,000 physicians, residents, and medical students across all clinical disciplines, organizations, and practice settings. The MMS is committed to advocating on behalf of patients for a better health care system,
and on behalf of physicians, to help them to provide the best care possible. As the body of evidence on cannabis continues to grow, the MMS is guided by our principles: protecting public health, particularly for vulnerable populations, reducing stigma,
supporting evidence-based treatment, and promoting harm reduction strategies.
To that end, the MMS is concerned about the impact of public advertising, marketing, and promotion of cannabis in the Commonwealth using billboards and other public media such as print, social media, event sponsorship, product branding, and the placement
and density of retail locations. Public advertising contributes to the normalization of cannabis use and may reduce public perception of its potential risks, especially among youth. To mitigate these risks, the MMS supports aligning cannabis advertising
regulations with those currently used for tobacco products at the state and federal levels.
H.157/S.94 proposes banning the use of billboards for advertising, marketing, and branding of non-prescription marijuana. This legislation would also require charitable, sporting or similar events sponsored by a cannabis licensees be restricted to individuals
21 years of age and older. Exposure to cannabis advertising via public advertising likely contributes to the social normalization and decreased perception of potential associated risks of cannabis use, especially among young people. According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, exposure to marijuana advertisements was associated with higher odds of current marijuana use among adolescents. Limiting such exposure is a critical step in safeguarding public health.
We therefore ask the Committee to report H.157/S.94 favorably. Thank you very much for your consideration of this legislation. We appreciate the opportunity to offer these comments.
View a PDF version of this testimony here.
