Pot Shops Turn to Highway Sponsor Signs Amid Strict Ad Rules

In this Feb. 6, 2020, photo, a Clean Colorado highway sign sponsored by the Northern Lights Cannabis Co. is displayed on eastbound 6th Avenue west of Sheridan Blvd. in Denver. | Credit: AP by Andy Cross/The Denver Post

Cannabis companies are using a loophole in Colorado’s strict limits on marijuana advertising by sponsoring state highways and putting their names on roadside signs.

Currently, 51 cannabis dispensaries, cultivators, manufacturers and edible producers sponsor roadways throughout the state, according to the Adopt a Highway Maintenance Corporation. Although they represent less than half of all organizations that participate in the Clean Colorado program, their reach spans about 198 miles (318 kilometers) , or 66%, of the roads actively sponsored, The Denver Post reported.