Pubdate: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 Source: Boston Herald (MA) Copyright: 2014 The Boston Herald, Inc Contact: http://news.bostonherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/53 Author: Marie Szaniszlo Page: 19 MEDIA WILL PROFIT FROM POT SHOP ADS The first ones who stand to make a windfall off medical marijuana aren't necessarily the dispensaries or doctors; they might just be the advertisers and the media that air their campaigns. In April, months before the first dispensaries are scheduled to open in Massachusetts this summer, what's expected to be the Northeast's first marijuana-related commercial is due to air on major networks, opening the floodgates to what could turn out to be big business for both the companies that create the commercials and the ones that run them. "I would imagine medical marijuana sales will probably reach the hundreds of millions of dollars, and advertising is usually some percentage of gross revenue, so it could be a very big potential revenue source," said Bruce Mittman, president of Mittcom, a local advertising agency. New York-based Medical Cannabis Network has booked airtime through Comcast Spotlight to advertise marijuanadoctors.com, which pairs patients with doctors in their area who will evaluate whether marijuana should be used for their serious illness or chronic pain, according to founder Jason Draizin. While it's unclear how much the company paid for the commercial to air on national cable networks and local cable channels across the state, Mittman thinks neither they nor Comcast have anything to risk, even though some people remain adamantly opposed to the legalization of marijuana, medical or otherwise. "It's a valid business relationship," he said. "The state has taken the position that medical marijuana is ethical to sell." Donna Goodison contributed to this report. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt