Arkansas Cannabis Advertising Laws
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TL;DR
Arkansas requires four warning statements on every dispensary advertisement, quoted word for word. It caps the under-18 share of the audience at 30 percent rather than setting an adult floor, and the age is 18 rather than 21. It prohibits coupons, rebates and promotions outright, subject to one application-stage exception. Cultivation facilities and processors may not advertise through any public medium at all.
Working with a partner that already knows these rules shortens the launch cycle. See how we run campaigns as a cannabis marketing agency in Arkansas.
Arkansas Cannabis Advertising Summary
Is Cannabis Advertising Legal in Arkansas?
Dispensary advertising is permitted subject to the four warning statements at (b)(2), the audience cap at (b)(5), the content prohibitions at (b)(1), the location restrictions at (b)(4), and the promotions prohibition at (b)(6). Under (a)(1), cultivation facilities and processors shall not advertise through any public medium or means designed to market products to the public.
Legal Framework and Compliance Basics
Advertising is governed by 20 CAR §810-1701, Advertising and marketing medical marijuana, administered by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division. The programme was created by Amendment 98 to the Arkansas Constitution, approved by voters in 2016.
Arkansas is medical only. There is no adult-use programme and no second advertising framework.
The rule is structured by licence type. Subsection (a) governs cultivation facilities and processors and prohibits them from advertising to the public. Subsection (b) governs dispensaries and contains the warning statements, the audience cap, the location restrictions and the promotions prohibition.
This page is part of our state-by-state cannabis advertising laws library, covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Advertising Rules by Channel in Arkansas
Requirements That Apply to Every Channel
Who may advertise
Under (a)(1), cultivation facilities and processors shall not advertise through any public medium or means designed to market products to the public. Under (a)(2) and (a)(3), a cultivation facility may market directly to dispensaries, and a processor to cultivation facilities and dispensaries, by means directed solely at those licensees and not available to the public. The remainder of this page applies to dispensaries.
Business name and licence number
Not required. Section 810-1701 contains no requirement to identify the licensee by licence number in advertising.
The required warning statements
Four. All must appear under (b)(2), quoted as codified:
- "Marijuana is for use by qualified patients only. Keep out of reach of children."
- "Marijuana use during pregnancy or breastfeeding poses potential harms."
- "Marijuana is not approved by the FDA to treat, cure, or prevent any disease."
- "Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of marijuana."
How the warnings have to appear
Section 810-1701 prescribes no format standard. There is no minimum font size, no percentage of the advertising area, no contrast requirement, and no audio speed or duration rule. Subsection (b)(2) requires that the statements be included.
When the warnings are not required
Section 810-1701 provides no exemption. The four statements attach to every dispensary advertisement.
Hotline number
No. Arkansas requires no helpline, hotline or poison control number. The four statements at (b)(2) are the complete required set.
Prohibited content
Under (b)(1), dispensary advertising shall not:
- Contain statements that are deceptive, false, or misleading — (b)(1)(A)
- Contain content that can reasonably be considered to target children, including cartoon characters, toys, or similar images and items typically marketed towards children — (b)(1)(B)
- Encourage the transportation of medical marijuana across state lines — (b)(1)(C)
- Display consumption of marijuana — (b)(1)(D)
- Contain material that encourages or promotes marijuana for use as an intoxicant — (b)(1)(E)
- Contain material that encourages excessive or rapid use or consumption — (b)(1)(F)
Under (b)(3), no deceptive, false or misleading assertions on any information material, sign or document provided to a consumer.
Under (a)(4), a cultivation facility or dispensary shall not use a cross, a caduceus, or any other symbol commonly associated with the practice of medicine or the practice of pharmacy.
Discounts, coupons, and price promotion
Prohibited. Under (b)(6), licensed facilities shall not offer any coupons, rebates or promotions for medical marijuana purchases, unless offered as part of a compassionate care plan presented to the Medical Marijuana Commission as part of the application for licensure. The exception is tied to the licence application.
Arkansas Display Advertising Laws
Arkansas writes no display-specific rule. The internet is named in the audience restriction at (b)(5)(A), so the 30 percent cap applies.
What is allowed
Paid display, including programmatic, where the licensee has reliable evidence that no more than 30 percent of the audience is reasonably expected to be under 18.
What is not allowed
- Advertising on the internet where more than 30 percent of the audience is reasonably expected to be under 18 — (b)(5)(A)
- Placement within 1,000 feet of the perimeter of a public or private school or daycare center — (b)(4)(A)
- Coupons, rebates or promotions — (b)(6)
- The content prohibitions at (b)(1) and the symbol prohibition at (a)(4)
Required warnings and disclosures
All four statements at (b)(2). No licence number required. See Requirements That Apply to Every Channel above.
Hotline number required
No.
Discounts and promotions on this channel
Prohibited under (b)(6).
Closing note
Under (b)(5)(B), on request by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division the licensee shall provide the evidence relied upon to make the audience determination. Obtain and retain that evidence for every placement before the flight starts.
Arkansas Native Advertising Laws
Arkansas writes no native-specific rule. Subsection (b)(1)(E) prohibits material that encourages or promotes marijuana for use as an intoxicant, which applies to editorial-styled content as to any other format.
What is allowed
Native and sponsored content where the 30 percent cap at (b)(5)(A) is met.
What is not allowed
- Material that encourages or promotes marijuana for use as an intoxicant — (b)(1)(E)
- Deceptive, false or misleading statements — (b)(1)(A)
- Advertising above the 30 percent under-18 cap — (b)(5)(A)
- Coupons, rebates or promotions — (b)(6)
- The remaining content prohibitions at (b)(1)
Required warnings and disclosures
All four statements at (b)(2). See Requirements That Apply to Every Channel above.
Hotline number required
No.
Discounts and promotions on this channel
Prohibited under (b)(6).
Closing note
Subsection (b)(3) extends the prohibition on deceptive, false or misleading assertions to any information material, sign or document provided to a consumer, beyond advertising itself.
Arkansas Online Video (OLV) Advertising Laws
Arkansas writes no video-specific rule. Subsection (b)(1)(D) prohibits displaying consumption of marijuana, which applies regardless of who is shown.
What is allowed
Pre-roll, mid-roll and in-feed video where the 30 percent cap at (b)(5)(A) is met.
What is not allowed
- Displaying consumption of marijuana — (b)(1)(D)
- Content that can reasonably be considered to target children, including cartoon characters and toys — (b)(1)(B)
- Advertising above the 30 percent under-18 cap — (b)(5)(A)
- Coupons, rebates or promotions — (b)(6)
- The remaining content prohibitions at (b)(1)
Required warnings and disclosures
All four statements at (b)(2). Section 810-1701 prescribes no audio speed or on-screen duration standard. See Requirements That Apply to Every Channel above.
Hotline number required
No.
Discounts and promotions on this channel
Prohibited under (b)(6).
Closing note
Subsection (b)(1)(D) prohibits displaying consumption of marijuana. The prohibition is not qualified by the age or appearance of the person shown.
Arkansas Connected TV (CTV) Advertising Laws
Television and the internet are both named in the audience restriction at (b)(5)(A).
What is allowed
CTV and OTT placements where no more than 30 percent of the audience is reasonably expected to be under 18. Section 810-1701 imposes no daypart restriction.
What is not allowed
- Advertising on television or the internet above the 30 percent under-18 cap — (b)(5)(A)
- Displaying consumption of marijuana — (b)(1)(D)
- Coupons, rebates or promotions — (b)(6)
- The remaining content prohibitions at (b)(1)
Required warnings and disclosures
All four statements at (b)(2). See Requirements That Apply to Every Channel above.
Hotline number required
No.
Discounts and promotions on this channel
Prohibited under (b)(6).
Closing note
The threshold at (b)(5)(A) is a cap on the share of the audience reasonably expected to be under 18. It is not a floor on the adult share, and the age is 18 rather than 21. Confirm which metric a media partner's composition data reports before relying on it.
Arkansas Paid Search Advertising Laws
Arkansas writes no rule specific to paid search. Search advertising is internet advertising and is subject to (b)(5)(A).
What is allowed
Search advertising under state law where the 30 percent cap at (b)(5)(A) is met.
What is not allowed
- Advertising above the 30 percent under-18 cap — (b)(5)(A)
- Coupons, rebates or promotions in ad copy — (b)(6)
- The content prohibitions at (b)(1)
Required warnings and disclosures
All four statements at (b)(2). Section 810-1701 provides no exemption for character-limited formats.
Hotline number required
No.
Discounts and promotions on this channel
Prohibited under (b)(6).
Arkansas SEO and Website Advertising Laws
Subsection (b)(5)(A) names the website in or on which the advertisement is to appear, which includes a licensee's own website.
What is allowed
A licensee's own website, menus and organic content, carrying the four statements at (b)(2).
What is not allowed
- Website advertising where more than 30 percent of the audience is reasonably expected to be under 18 — (b)(5)(A)
- Deceptive, false or misleading assertions on any information material, sign or document provided to a consumer — (b)(3)
- Coupons, rebates or promotions, including on menus and product pages — (b)(6)
- The content prohibitions at (b)(1) and the symbol prohibition at (a)(4)
Required warnings and disclosures
All four statements at (b)(2) on advertising content. See Requirements That Apply to Every Channel above.
Hotline number required
No.
Discounts and promotions on this channel
Prohibited under (b)(6).
Closing note
Subsection (b)(5)(A) applies the 30 percent cap to the website on which the advertisement appears. Section 810-1701 does not state how an owned property demonstrates that composition and prescribes no age gate. Under (b)(5)(B) the evidence must be producible to the Division on request.
Arkansas Out of Home and DOOH Advertising Laws
Section 810-1701 contains no billboard prohibition. The audience restriction at (b)(5)(A) names television, radio, print media and the internet.
What is allowed
Billboards and other out of home placements outside the buffer at (b)(4)(A), off transit under (b)(4)(B), and off publicly owned or operated property under (b)(4)(C).
What is not allowed
- Any advertisement or marketing material within 1,000 feet of the perimeter of a public or private school or daycare center — (b)(4)(A)
- Placement on or in a public transit vehicle or public transit shelter — (b)(4)(B)
- Placement on or in publicly owned or operated property — (b)(4)(C)
- Use of a cross, caduceus or other symbol commonly associated with the practice of medicine or pharmacy — (a)(4)
- The content prohibitions at (b)(1)
Required warnings and disclosures
All four statements at (b)(2), with no prescribed size. See Requirements That Apply to Every Channel above.
Hotline number required
No.
Discounts and promotions on this channel
Prohibited under (b)(6).
Closing note
The buffer at (b)(4)(A) names public and private schools and daycare centers. Section 810-1701 names no other facility type for the advertising buffer. Confirm each site against the buffer, the transit prohibition and the public property prohibition before committing spend.
Platform Specific Advertising Restrictions
X (formerly Twitter)
Permits limited paid cannabis advertising in select U.S. jurisdictions subject to approval, licensing verification and 21-plus targeting.
Platform approval is not regulatory approval, and platform compliance does not protect against a state placement violation. Note that platform targeting controls are generally built around an age of 21, while the audience cap at 20 CAR §810-1701(b)(5)(A) is measured against 18.
Audience Requirements for Cannabis Advertising in Arkansas
What the Law Requires
Arkansas measures against 18. Under (b)(5)(A), the threshold is expressed as a cap on the share of the audience reasonably expected to be under 18. Under (b)(1)(B), advertising shall not contain content that can reasonably be considered to target children, including cartoon characters, toys, or similar images and items typically marketed towards children.
Audience Percentage Thresholds
30 percent, as a cap on the under-18 share
Under (b)(5)(A), a dispensary shall not utilise television, radio, print media, or the internet to advertise and market medical marijuana unless the licensee has reliable evidence that no more than 30 percent of the audience for the programme, publication, or website in or on which the advertisement is to air or appear is reasonably expected to be under the age of 18.
What the threshold covers
Television, radio, print media and the internet. The internet limb expressly includes the website on which the advertisement appears. Out of home and direct mail are not named in (b)(5)(A).
Where the burden sits
On the licensee. Subsection (b)(5)(A) requires that the licensee has reliable evidence. Under (b)(5)(B), upon request by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division a licensee shall provide the evidence relied upon to make the determination.
Event sponsorship
Section 810-1701 sets no audience threshold specific to event sponsorship.
Age Gating and Consent
Websites
Section 810-1701 does not require a website age gate.
Direct communication
Section 810-1701 contains no age affirmation requirement for direct or individualized communication.
Location-based devices
Section 810-1701 contains no location-based device provision.
Established customers
Section 810-1701 contains no exception removing communications to existing customers or opted-in recipients from the definition of advertising.
People Depicted in Ads
Under (b)(1)(B), no content that can reasonably be considered to target children, including cartoon characters, toys, or similar images and items typically marketed towards children. Under (b)(1)(D), no displaying consumption of marijuana.
Section 810-1701 sets no minimum age for persons appearing in advertising.
Geo Targeting Rules for Cannabis Advertising in Arkansas
Restricted Locations and Buffer Distances
The 1,000 foot buffer
Under (b)(4)(A), a dispensary shall not place or maintain, or cause to be placed or maintained, any advertisement or marketing material within 1,000 feet of the perimeter of a public or private school or daycare center.
What the distance is measured from
The perimeter of the facility.
Facility types named
Two: public or private schools, and daycare centers. Subsection (b)(4)(A) names no place of worship, public park, playground, library, youth center, or substance abuse or treatment facility.
Transit and Publicly Owned Property
Under (b)(4)(B), no advertisement on or in a public transit vehicle or public transit shelter. Under (b)(4)(C), no advertisement on or in publicly owned or operated property. Both apply independently of the buffer at (b)(4)(A).
Can You Run a Digital Out of Home Screen in Arkansas?
Section 810-1701 contains no billboard prohibition. Three provisions apply to a site: the 1,000 foot buffer at (b)(4)(A), the transit prohibition at (b)(4)(B), and the publicly owned or operated property prohibition at (b)(4)(C). The creative carries the four statements at (b)(2) and is subject to the symbol prohibition at (a)(4).
Compliant Use of Geotargeting
- Build 1,000 foot exclusions around public and private schools and daycare centers, measured from the perimeter, under (b)(4)(A). Subsection (b)(4)(A) names no other facility type.
- Exclude all publicly owned and operated property under (b)(4)(C), and all public transit vehicles and shelters under (b)(4)(B).
- For television, radio, print and internet, obtain the audience composition evidence required by (b)(5)(A) and retain it for production to the Division under (b)(5)(B).
- Calculate the composition against age 18, and against the under-18 share, as (b)(5)(A) requires.
- Check creative against the consumption imagery prohibition at (b)(1)(D) and the symbol prohibition at (a)(4) before production.
Need Help Running Compliant Campaigns in Arkansas?
Knowing the rules is step one. Running campaigns that stay inside them and still grow patient volume is the harder part. MediaJel builds compliant media, search, and SEO programs for Arkansas operators and ties them to dispensed sales through DataJel.
What Are the Recreational and Medical Marijuana Rules in Arkansas?
Arkansas is medical only. There is no adult-use programme. Access is limited to registered qualifying patients.
One advertising rule set applies, divided by licence type rather than by programme. Under (a)(1), cultivation facilities and processors shall not advertise through any public medium or means designed to market products to the public. Under (a)(2) and (a)(3), they may market directly to other licensees by means directed solely at those licensees and not available to the public. Dispensary advertising is governed by subsection (b) and by everything on this page.
What Are the Hemp and CBD Rules in Arkansas?
Who regulates hemp here
The Arkansas Tobacco Control Board, following Act 629 of 2023, with the framework extended by Act 934 of 2025. Not the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division's medical marijuana rules.
Non-intoxicating hemp and CBD
Permitted. A CBD product within the federal hemp definition is not medical marijuana and is not sold by a licensed dispensary, so 20 CAR §810-1701 does not apply to it. General Arkansas consumer protection law and federal restrictions on health claims apply instead.
Intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoids
Prohibited. Act 629 of 2023 classified delta-8, delta-10 and other converted or synthetically derived cannabinoids as Schedule VI controlled substances. The Act was challenged, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit upheld Arkansas's authority to impose the ban in Bio Gen LLC v. Sanders, decided June 24, 2025. Act 934 of 2025 extended the framework and was certified by the Attorney General in April 2026. The federal definition of hemp narrows in November 2026.
What it means for advertising
A medical marijuana product sold by a licensed dispensary is subject to the requirements on this page: the four statements at (b)(2), the 30 percent cap at (b)(5), the buffer at (b)(4) and the promotions prohibition at (b)(6). A non-intoxicating CBD product is outside §810-1701. Intoxicating hemp cannabinoids are Schedule VI controlled substances in Arkansas. Enforcement of the consumable hemp framework sits with the Arkansas Tobacco Control Board.
Arkansas Legislation and Source Regulations
Every statement on this page traces to one of the following:
- 20 CAR §810-1701, Advertising and marketing medical marijuana, Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Division
- Amendment 98 to the Arkansas Constitution, the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2016
- Act 629 of 2023 and Act 934 of 2025, Arkansas General Assembly, consumable hemp
- Bio Gen LLC v. Sanders, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, decided June 24, 2025
Disclaimer
Please note that we are not legal professionals, and the information provided in this article should not be interpreted as legal advice. Cannabis laws and regulations are subject to frequent changes and vary by state and locality. We strongly recommend consulting with qualified legal counsel to ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. For the most up-to-date guidance on state-specific marketing rules, please reach out to the MediaJel team directly.
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