GOOGLE’S DECISION to test cannabis advertising in Canada could signal a shift in how major the search giant treats the industry, particularly as U.S. policymakers consider rescheduling marijuana.
In August 2025, Google announced a limited pilot program allowing licensed Canadian cannabis businesses to advertise on its platform for the first time. The test began Aug. 25 and was initially scheduled to run for 20 weeks, marking a significant departure from the company’s long-standing prohibition on marijuana advertising. Google in January extended the program through the end of 2026.
For cannabis operators, the experiment has drawn attention beyond Canada because of its timing. The Trump administration recently directed the Department of Justice and other federal agencies to begin developing regulations that would move marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 under the Controlled Substances Act. If that change occurs, it would substantially alter the legal landscape for cannabis businesses and it could influence how Google and other major digital platforms treat the industry.
How the Google pilot program works
Only federally licensed cannabis producers, distributors and retailers in Canada can participate in Google’s pilot program. Ads appear exclusively on Google Search results pages, meaning businesses can pay to display sponsored listings when users search for relevant keywords.
The ads do not appear on other Google properties such as YouTube, Google Display Network or shopping ads.
Google said the pilot’s purpose is to “explore user interest and inform potential future policy updates,” suggesting the company is studying how consumers respond to cannabis advertising and whether advertisers comply with regulatory restrictions.
A potential precedent
Google has gradually softened some of its cannabis-related advertising restrictions in recent years.
Following the legalization of hemp under the 2018 Farm Bill, the company lifted its ban on advertising certain hemp-derived CBD products in select parts of the United States. Those policy adjustments showed that Google is willing to revisit its stance as federal laws evolve.
The Canadian cannabis pilot program may represent the next step in that progression.
If the federal government ultimately reschedules marijuana to Schedule 3, cannabis businesses in legal state markets could find themselves operating in a dramatically different regulatory environment. While advertising rules would still depend on federal policy and platform decisions, the shift could remove a major legal barrier that has historically kept companies like Google from accepting cannabis advertising.