How should an age gate be set up on a cannabis website?
A good age gate appears on first visit, works on every device, remembers the answer briefly and does not hide content from search engines.
An age gate asks visitors to confirm they are old enough before entering. Whether you need one, and how strict it must be, depends on your jurisdiction. Technically, a good one has a few traits.
Traits of a solid age gate
- Appears on the first visit to any page, not just the home page
- Works with a keyboard and screen reader, not only a mouse
- Remembers the answer for a session so it doesn’t repeat on every click
- Sends under-age visitors somewhere sensible
Search engines
Some gates hide all content behind a script that search engines can’t pass. That can leave your pages unindexed. Overlay-style gates that keep the page content in place usually avoid this. Test by viewing how a search engine renders your page.
Stricter requirements
Some places require more than a click, such as date-of-birth entry or ID checks at checkout. Confirm the standard with counsel.
Age gates are part of every audit. Cannabis rules differ between states and countries; this isn’t legal advice.