Lowell Herb Co., the dominant pre-roll cannabis company in California, recently filmed a commercial to play during this year’s Oscars, but it was rejected by ABC television. The wholesome advertisement is a celebration of legalization in California from an award-winning director Cutter Hodierne, features actress Bella Thorne, and with voice over by actress Sasha Lane. As a big fan of the brand, Bella Thorne was eager to be in the commercial she explains, “I’m proud to be featured in Lowell Herb Co.’s first TV commercial. I’m a huge supporter of how they treat their company from the inside out, and particularly their social equity program that supplies jobs for recently pardoned non-violent offenders of cannabis-related offenses. They aren’t just a “weed” company, they’re helping make a change in people’s lives. It’s a shame that, that message won’t be televised….for now.”
You may recall my praise for Lowell Herb Co. in some of my reviews and other posts, but this company has been doing so much to raise the bar for standards and responsibility for the cannabis industry, including outreach and education efforts such as this commercial. Most recently they event announced that this summer they will open a cannabis consumption space in West Hollywood, California, in the form of Lowell Farms: A Cannabis Cafe.
The commercial pays homage to the agrarian, California-pioneer farm culture, while referencing new opportunities in the dawn of cannabis legalization by highlighting the American craftsmanship involved in creating Lowell Herb Co. products – similar to a spot for craft beer or whisky. Cutting to the purchasing of cannabis pre-rolls from a vending machine – an idyllic future – you can see Bella and friends responsibly enjoying Lowell Herb Co. pre-rolls safely at home. It ends with the lighting of a cannabis pre-roll and the soft female voice-over declaring, “Legal…natural…cannabis…finally.”
“Our brand is celebrating legalization, from the people who make the product to the people who enjoy the product,” said CEO David Elias. “Large cannabis businesses are creating amazing content, amazing commercials, but the challenge for us is that advertising is very difficult.”
I look forward to seeing how this plays out, and how long regulators will refuse to allow educational cannabis commercials to be aired. It’s time for change…onward and forward!
See the commercial here….
