Weedmaps’ marijuana billboards under fire in Arizona

An anti-marijuana organization in Arizona has asked the state’s attorney general to investigate cannabis tech company Weedmaps for false advertising.

According to Phoenix New Times, Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy (ARDP) is questioning the validity of claims on billboard ads paid for by Weedmaps that youth marijuana usage in Colorado and Washington hasn’t changed since those states legalized cannabis in 2012.

Here’s what you need to know:

• ARDP has issued a “call to action,” asking its supporters to write the AG’s office of consumer complaints.
• The group also takes issue with Weedmaps’ claim that marijuana can be used to fight the opioid crisis.
• ARDP says the billboards violate a state law that prohibits deceptive and false advertising.
• Weedmaps’ billboards cite state surveys for the youth usage claim and a highly touted 2014 survey on death rates stemming from opioid use.