A New York medical marijuana company is going underground. But legally.
Vireo Health of New York, one of the state’s five licensed MMJ companies, on Monday launched a large-scale medical cannabis advertising campaign in the New York City subway system that targets nearly 100 stations with posters touting MMJ.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the subway system, has not publicly commented on the campaign, according to the New York Daily News. But the transit agency does screen ad submissions for appropriateness.
If the campaign encounters no pushback, it would be a notable marketing breakthrough for both Vireo and the state’s MMJ industry, which has struggled for multiple reasons, including tight advertising restrictions.
The four-week-long campaign – which Vireo says could be the first of its type – includes four posters with New Yorkers of different ages and ethnicities under the headline “Ask your doctor about medical marijuana.” The bottom of each poster features the statement “New Yorkers have new options for chronic pain” and a Vireo logo.
In a news release, Vireo said the public awareness campaign is aimed at expanding New York’s MMJ program by increasing the number of health care practitioners and patients registered with the program. The program has suffered from a shortage of both.
