First Ever Marijuana Commercial Put On The Back Burner

Neos, a company that manufactures vaporization oil and vape pens, created the US'

, which was slated to debut in Colorado on Monday. However, the commercial never made its way to the airwaves after a Denver broadcaster elected to pull the ad shortly before its scheduled airtime.

The E.W. Scripps Co., which owns the Denver station set to play the ad, released a statement on Monday afternoon saying the company had elected not to accept marijuana advertising yet. Although both recreational and medical marijuana are legal in Colorado, the company said federal regulations prohibiting the drug made broadcasting such ads a problem.

The decision not to run the ad has been criticized by many who say the commercial met all of the state's regulations regarding advertising. Neo was careful not to show any products in the ad and did not use the words "cannabis" or "marijuana" in accordance with state law.

Advertising represents another major problem with the disparity between state and federal laws regarding marijuana. Although the federal government has adopted a "hands off" policy regarding states' decisions on whether or not to legalize cannabis, the differing laws are stifling the industry's growth. Marijuana firms are bound by crippling tax policies, a lack of financial support from banks, and now advertising restrictions all because conflicting federal and state laws have created a lack of clarity around how the industry can move forward.