Comcast at center of marijuana TV ad controversy

Comcast's (Nasdaq: CMCSA) Spotlight advertising group is at the center of a controversy about why the nation's first television advertisements for medical marijuana never reached the airwaves.

According to a report in the New York Business Journal, the Medical Cannabis Network's advertising campaign was supposed to air on Comcast cable channels in New Jersey and Massachusetts in February but didn't show up, despite earlier reports that they had.

"The ad has not appeared via Comcast Spotlight and reports and statements to the contrary are incorrect," a Comcast spokesman told the publication. "All commercials are subject to final review by Comcast Spotlight prior to airing and during that process it was determined that the spot did not meet our guidelines."

The news apparently came as a surprise to executives of MarijuanaDoctors.com, the company that paid $21,500 to Comcast to put their ad on the air. CEO Jason Draizin said that he learned the ads had not run when he tried to schedule further buys on different cable networks. He's hoping that a meeting with Comcast today will clear up the picture.

"They're saying they had it in for final review and they would like to discuss it with us," Draizin told the Journal.

The commercial in question: not aired by Comcast. (Source: MarijuanaDoctors.com / YouTube)

For more:
- see this New York Business Journal article

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