Google Ads recently announced a limited pilot program in Canada, allowing cannabis-related product types or services to utilize the online advertising platform.
The project began on August 25, 2025, and is expected to run for up to 20 weeks. Participation in the program will be restricted to federally licensed cannabis producers in Canada. StratCann spoke with some producers and legal experts about their thoughts on the program and its compliance with Canadian cannabis regulations for marketing and promotion.
A media representative with the Google Press Team told StratCann via email that the organization will only serve these ads to signed-in users who have identified themselves as being over the age of 21.
“Users under the age of 21 are not eligible to see these ads. This is a temporary pilot program designed to better understand advertiser and consumer interest in Canada. It is running for a period of up to 20 weeks on Search only. The insights we gain will be used to inform future policy updates. We are currently not enrolling new advertisers in the pilot.”
Editor’s note: In a followup email on August 27, a media representative with the Google Press Team clarified that the organization reached out to federally licensed sellers to invite them to join the pilot program.
Google verifies age by asking users to upload a photo of a government ID or use a valid credit card for verification. In some cases, Google also allows users to upload a photo to estimate if a user is under 18.
Eric Williams, VP of Marketing at Organigram Global, a cannabis producer based in New Brunswick, says the company is excited by the proposal, noting that it will approach any participation in the pilot project carefully to ensure it can adhere to Canadian regulations.
“We welcome the news that a large, influential organization like Google now views Canada’s legal cannabis industry as a space for growth, and Organigram intends to participate in the advertising pilot, so long as it is compliant with Health Canada’s regulations,” Williams tells StratCann. “This is a natural extension of our approach to digital, where we’ve consistently been early movers. We were among the first Canadian cannabis companies to test new opportunities on other major platforms, and we see this pilot as another chance to build on that record of breaking new ground.
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