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🌿 Google pilots cannabis ads in Canada, RNC chair supports cannabis legalization, and drug policy reform org pushes descheduling

Welcome to another edition of The Pre Roll, the cannabis newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on the industry happenings you need to know. Here’s what we’re rolling up this week: Google pilots cannabis ads in Canada, RNC chair supports cannabis legalization, drug policy reform org pushes descheduling, and more. Let’s get to it.

Author

Alex Lipnik
August 29, 2025

together with

Happy Friday Pre Rollers! Welcome to another edition of The Pre Roll, the cannabis newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on the industry happenings you need to know.

Here’s what we’re rolling up this week:

  • Google pilots cannabis ads in Canada

  • RNC chair supports cannabis legalization

  • Drug policy reform org pushes descheduling

…and more. Let’s get to it.

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🚨 ROLL CALL
Business

Source: Ad Age

Google it. Google just launched a 20-week pilot program in Canada allowing federally licensed cannabis businesses to promote through Google Ads. The goal is to gauge user interest and inform future policy changes.

The pilot is for Google Search only. People will have the option to opt out of seeing cannabis-related ads if they don’t want to see them.

Google previously updated its Google Ads policies in 2023 to permit the promotion of FDA-approved pharmaceuticals containing CBD and topical, hemp-derived CBD products with THC content of 0.3% or less. Targeting, however, was limited to California, Colorado, and Puerto Rico.

Apple, a Google competitor, revised its App Store guidelines in 2021 to approve apps facilitating in-app sales of cannabis provided they are operated by licensed, legal dispensaries, geo-restricted to authorized jurisdictions, and don’t promote illegal substances or underage consumption.

News

Cannabis champion. Joe Gruters, a Florida state senator and longtime ally of President Trump, was unanimously elected as the new chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) last week.

Gruters emerged as a leading Republican voice in support of cannabis reform in Florida. In 2024, he broke with party leadership to endorse Amendment 3, which unsuccessfully attempted to legalize recreational cannabis. He cited personal freedom, public safety through regulation, and economic opportunity as reasons for his stance. He even appeared in an ad for the pro-legalization group Smart & Safe Florida.

He continued his advocacy in 2025 by introducing a bill to let qualified medical cannabis patients grow up to two plants at home for personal consumption.

Policy

Push forward. The Drug Policy Alliance, a nonprofit drug policy reform organization, is petitioning President Trump to deschedule cannabis rather than reschedule it. The move would remove cannabis from the federal controlled substances list and end criminalization.

This comes on the heels of the news that President Trump is considering reclassifying cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III.

🇺🇸 STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

Colorado: The state has collected over $3 billion in total taxes and fees since recreational cannabis sales began in 2014.

Minnesota: The Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) awarded $3.6 million in grants to support new cannabis businesses and train workers for jobs in the state’s emerging adult-use industry.

💻 TECH

Dutchie drops duo of digital growth tools

The cannabis technology giant unveiled E‑Commerce Pro and a Certified Partner Program, designed to help cannabis retailers create modern, personalized, AI‑driven digital stores with built‑in payments, loyalty, marketing, and access to vetted partners for enhanced customization and branding.

💨 QUICK HITTERS
📚 WHAT WE’RE READING

  • America’s unlikely weed warrior (POLITICO)

  • Why Cheech And Chong’s $100 Million Cannabis Empire Is No Joke (Forbes)

  • Cannabis helped me after my NFL career. It can help more people if Trump reclassifies it. | Opinion (USA TODAY)

  • Trump Should Reschedule Cannabis On The Way To Fully Descheduling It, Roger Stone Says (Op-Ed) (Marijuana Moment)

  • Legal weed clashes with child care. Why a cannabis tax cut could spell trouble for children (Los Angeles Times)

📽️ VIDEO OF THE WEEK
🔎 JOB BOARD

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The Pre Roll Team

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