Should TV and Radio Stations Accept Marijuana Advertising?

Medical marijuana has been decriminalized in 13 states, even though it's still illegal under federal law. That has put media outlets into a bind when it comes to deciding whether to accept advertising from marijuana dispensaries. The Poynter Institute writes about that issue today.

The Denver Post and a Sacramento radio station, for example, are accepting advertising. A Denver alternative weekly paper is even running reviews of marijuana dispensaries.

The National Association of Broadcasters isn't taking a stand on whether stations should take the ads or not. NAB executive vp Dennis Wharton said the trade group's legal experts say there doesn't appear to be an law preventing a station from airing a medical marijuana ad. Yet the Poynter Institute said that the station should think about what kind of reaction the public would have and check with its own lawyers.