Las Vegas recreational marijuana retailer advertises with airline

Las Vegas recreational marijuana retailer Acres Cannabis said it’s completed a deal to advertise in Allegiant Air’s in-flight magazine, another sign of a growing movement by cannabis companies to expand their advertising reach through transportation outlets.

Some other companies that have gone this route:

  • Price-comparison app Wikileaf, which in June started a three-month video ad campaign on Virgin America’s seatback screens.
  • New York medical marijuana dispensary Vireo Health, which last May launched a four-week MMJ public awareness push by displaying posters in almost 100 of the Big Apple’s subway stations.

Acres said it will begin running a full-page ad in Allegiant’s Sunseeker magazine on Sept. 1, the Las Vegas Sun reported, and the campaign will run through October. This appears to be the first time a cannabis company has run an ad in an in-flight magazine.

It will be interesting to see how the Acres-Allegiant agreement is received after Clark County commissioners said they are discussing forbidding taxis from bearing MMJ advertising while traveling to and from Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport because it’s federal government property. Las Vegas is part of Clark County.