Marketing cannabis isn’t just another challenge. It is a tightrope walk between normalization and overcorrection. The plant is legal in more states than ever, yet the rules governing how it can be marketed are still restrictive, fragmented, and often confusing. As cannabis grows up as an industry, it helps to look back at how other heavily regulated products – namely tobacco and alcohol – told their stories. Some of those lessons are cautionary, others instructive. The bottom line: if cannabis marketers don’t learn from the past, we risk repeating it.
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Tobacco: The Pitfalls of Glamorization
Tobacco companies wrote the early playbook for mass consumer marketing and then got burned by it. For decades, the industry leaned on glamour: cigarettes were sold as sophisticated, sexy, and rebellious. That worked until it didn’t. The reality of the product – addictive and deadly – eventually overwhelmed the message.
The lesson for cannabis is clear. We cannot market in a way that oversells, misleads, or glosses over reality. Talking only about potency or positioning products as a form of escape risks alienating consumers and attracting regulators. Public trust, once lost, is nearly impossible to regain.
Alcohol: The Power and Paradox of Lifestyle
Alcohol is, at its core, not good for you. Yet the industry pulled off a remarkable feat. It normalized and even celebrated consumption by attaching itself to lifestyle and ritual. Beer became about camaraderie, not calories. Wine aligned with sophistication and food. Spirits built brands around heritage and celebration. Consumers embraced the culture while often overlooking the downside.
Cannabis is in a different position. Non-combustion products such as vapes, edibles, tinctures, and beverages do not carry the same health risks. That gives cannabis marketers a chance to adopt the best of alcohol’s cultural positioning without the same ethical baggage. We can build brands that stand for connection, wellness, and creativity, without glamorizing excess. The opportunity is to normalize through authenticity, not indulgence.
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Cannabis at the Crossroads
Here is where cannabis stands apart. We are building an industry under a cloud of federal prohibition. Advertising restrictions are tighter than what tobacco and alcohol ever faced in their early years. Instagram accounts vanish overnight. Paid ads are blocked or heavily constrained. Even “organic” social media posts can run afoul of community guidelines.
That is why public relations becomes not just useful, but essential. When you cannot advertise like every other industry, your story has to carry you. At Marino, we talk often about PESO – Paid, Earned, Social, and Owned channels—but in cannabis, “earned” is not just one slice of the pie; it is the whole bakery. Media coverage, thought leadership, and community partnerships are not nice-to-haves; they are lifelines.
Lifestyle Brands and Influencers: Done Right
One of the smartest moves cannabis can borrow from alcohol is the creation of lifestyle brands. Look at how White Claw didn’t just sell hard seltzer, it sold a vibe. Or how craft beer carved out communities rooted in local pride and authenticity. Cannabis can and should do the same. Packaging, retail design, events, and storytelling all matter. They help a dispensary or brand stand for something bigger than a transaction.
Influencers also have a role to play, though not in the way some might assume. Cannabis influencers cannot be about flashy consumption videos or shock value. They are most effective when they serve as guides, educators, and ambassadors, translating brand values for real communities. Partnering with influencers who have credibility—whether it is in wellness, culture, or social equity—allows a brand to extend reach without running afoul of advertising bans. It is not about getting the biggest name; it is about getting the most authentic one.
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Equity and Authenticity
If tobacco erred by ignoring public health, and alcohol thrived by leaning into ritual, cannabis has the chance to lead by rooting itself in equity and authenticity. This industry is different. It was built on the backs of legacy growers and communities disproportionately impacted by prohibition. Any brand that does not acknowledge that reality risks being called out—and rightly so.
Good marketing in cannabis has to be more than clever slogans. It has to reflect real values: supporting social equity operators, uplifting diverse voices, and highlighting local stories. Authenticity is not a buzzword in this space; it is survival.
The Path Forward
The path forward is not about mimicking alcohol or overcorrecting against tobacco. It is about writing a new playbook, one rooted in community, not clout. One that embraces equity, normalizes wellness, and tells real stories consumers can trust.
History shows us that heavily regulated industries either stumble into public backlash or grow into cultural acceptance. Cannabis has the rare chance to chart its own course. If we choose clarity over clout, community over cliché, and authenticity over excess, we will build more than just brands. We will build credibility that lasts. And in a marketplace where the rules are still being written, that might be the most valuable commodity of all.
*This article was submitted by a guest contributor. The author is solely responsible for the content.