Small-business owner Clarence Cocroft budgeted for advertising when he launched his company in DeSoto County. He even purchased billboards. But when the time came to announce his presence, state regulators silenced him.
Talking about his business on the radio or television is illegal, they told him. Newspaper, internet and outdoor advertising is also off limits. Cocroft can hang a sign on his property, but that is about it.
The censorship has nothing to do with Cocroft, who obtained all the proper business permits during a tedious startup process. The state is targeting him instead because of his industry: Medical marijuana.
Mississippi lawmakers legalized medical marijuana in 2022. But at the same time, they empowered the state Department of Health to control advertising.
Read more at The Clarion Ledger
