Meta rejected our rehab ad. What do we need to run addiction treatment ads?

What Meta requires, and why

Meta's Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment policy says "Advertisers can run ads for drug and alcohol addiction treatment in the United States as long as they're certified with LegitScript and have written permission from Meta." Meta gives the reason in its Business Help Center: the policy "aims to help protect people from scams or predatory behavior when they're seeking support for addiction across our technologies."

You need both parts. LegitScript certification on its own doesn't let an ad account run these ads, and Meta's application won't go past the website step unless LegitScript has certified that URL. Meta's application guide adds: "If your business isn't eligible for certification, you are not allowed to advertise drug and alcohol addiction services in the United States."

What counts as addiction treatment on Meta

Meta's policy lists four kinds of ads that need LegitScript certification and Meta's permission:

• "In-person addiction treatment", including groups that give information about drug or alcohol treatment "in a clinical or non-clinical setting".
• "Addiction hotlines", which give remote help to people "who are in recovery or who are seeking information about addiction or addiction treatment".
• "Mutual support group for addiction", meaning groups that "offer information about group-based addiction support services".
• "Online addiction treatment", meaning remote drug or alcohol treatment, "such as smartphone apps for addiction recovery".

Who doesn't need permission, and who can't apply

Meta's application guide says three kinds of advertisers "don't need to apply for permission under this policy": "Physical injury rehabilitation centers and services", "Rehab centers and services for non-drug and alcohol addictions (i.e. cigarettes, sex addiction)" and "Rehab centers and services targeting users outside of the United States". The rest of Meta's Advertising Standards still apply to them.

The same guide says these advertisers are not eligible to apply:

• "Call centers that provide addiction treatment advice, and are not certified with LegitScript"
• "Online support groups not certified with LegitScript"
• "Lead generators and sober living homes (recovery residences), which are currently not eligible for LegitScript's Addiction Treatment Provider Certification Program"

Step 1: Get LegitScript certification

Meta's application guide says LegitScript "will review your background, qualifications, compliance with state legal and regulatory licensing requirements and privacy practices." The same guide says "Because each application review is unique, LegitScript is unable to give time estimates." For who qualifies, what LegitScript checks on your website and how to apply, see how LegitScript certification works for healthcare ads.

Step 2: Request permission from Meta

Meta's application guide says "Once you have obtained LegitScript certification you may proceed to complete the authorization process within the Authorizations and Verifications tab in Settings." In Meta Business Suite:

1. Open Settings, then the Authorizations and Verifications tab. Next to Addiction treatment center ads, select Request authorization.
2. Review the steps in the pop-up and click Get started.
3. Select the country where you'll run the ads and click Continue. Meta says "You must have LegitScript certification for the country you select."
4. Enter the website URL that LegitScript certified. Meta warns: "If the URL you provide has not been certified or is not in good standing with LegitScript, you will not be able to proceed with the next step."
5. Under Business Details, enter your business name and select the ad accounts you want authorized. Review your information and click Submit. Meta says "After you submit, you'll be notified of your application status right away".
6. Keep the certification active. Meta says "If Meta determines that you no longer have an active LegitScript certification, your authorization status may be revoked."

If your ad was already rejected

Meta's page on how to troubleshoot a rejected ad says "When an ad is rejected, you'll receive an email notification and a link to Meta Business Support Home where you can find the reason for the rejection." Then:

1. Read the reason in Business Support Home. If it points to addiction treatment and you don't have permission yet, don't resubmit the ad in new words. Start with step 1 or step 2 above.
2. If you already have permission, check that the ad runs from an ad account you selected in your application, and that it targets the country you were approved for.
3. If the ad isn't about addiction treatment at all, request another review in Business Support Home. Meta says "We aim to review and provide a decision within 48 hours."
4. Keep the rejected ad. Meta says that if you delete it, "you may lose your ability to request another review if you believe your ad was incorrectly rejected."

What won't help

Rejections stay on your record. Meta says "Editing or deleting an ad that was rejected for violating Advertising Standards will not remove the violation from your account and you can be restricted from advertising for severe or repeat ad violations."

• Rewording the ad or moving the words into an image. The policy is about what you promote, not how you phrase it.
• Running the ads before LegitScript finishes. LegitScript's standards say applicants seen advertising on Facebook "without LegitScript certification" may be treated as trying to get around its program, and "it may be grounds for certification denial."
• Opening a new ad account or business portfolio to run the same ads. See whether to open a new ad account after a restriction.
• Sending conversions server-side. The Conversions API changes how events reach Meta, not which ads Meta allows. See why server-side tracking doesn't lift a restriction.
• Working through a lead generator. Meta lists lead generators among advertisers that can't apply, and LegitScript's standards bar "Co-ownership of, or any formal or informal business affiliation with, lead generators". See why third-party rehab leads create HIPAA liability.

If you advertise on Google too

Google runs its own approval. For US addiction services, Google's Healthcare and medicines policy says "you must be certified as an addiction services provider by the LegitScript Certification program" and "Advertisers must also be certified with Google." Google's Addiction services policy also names "Lead generators or referral agencies for addiction services" among the services it restricts. LegitScript says its addiction treatment certification is "recognized by Google, Meta, Microsoft and Nextdoor", but Google and Meta each require their own approval on top of it.

See what to do when Google Ads disapproves an addiction services ad, plus the guides to LegitScript certification and campaign launch for addiction treatment centers and getting LegitScript certified for addiction treatment Google Ads.

Tracking on a treatment center's website

Permission decides whether your ads run. What your website sends Meta after a click is a separate question, and a treatment center may have a federal rule to follow beyond HIPAA. 42 CFR Part 2 covers records of federally assisted substance use disorder programs. Under section 2.12, a program counts as federally assisted if, for example, it is a "Participating provider in the Medicare program", holds a Controlled Substances Act registration used to treat substance use disorders, or has tax-exempt status.

Part 2 defines a patient as "any individual who has applied for or been given diagnosis, treatment, or referral for treatment for a substance use disorder at a part 2 program" (section 2.11). Patient records under Part 2 "may be used or disclosed only as permitted by the regulations in this part" (section 2.13). HHS updated Part 2 in a final rule published in the Federal Register, and "Persons subject to this regulation must comply with the applicable requirements of this final rule by February 16, 2026." Whether Part 2 covers your program, and whether it reaches your admissions forms and calls, is a legal question, so talk to your counsel.

LegitScript looks at privacy too. Its standards say "US-based applicants who collect, store, or transmit Protected Health Information (PHI) must be in compliance with all applicable HIPAA requirements." Meta has its own rules on health data sent through its business tools. See what to do about a prohibited information notice.

Curve Compliance handles the ad tracking. Curve replaces browser ad pixels with one script and sends conversions server-side under neutral event names, with a fixed list of fields for each platform. Contact identifiers are off by default on Meta, Google Ads and TikTok, and Curve detects PHI-like patterns before data reaches an ad platform. Which events your program sends, and the consent forms and records policies behind them, are your team's decisions. Curve for addiction treatment centers shows how this works for detox, residential and outpatient programs. For Meta campaigns under Part 2, read Facebook ads for addiction treatment under 42 CFR Part 2, compliant Meta campaigns for rehab centers and 42 CFR Part 2 and behavioral health marketing.

Talk to Curve

LegitScript certifies your program and Meta grants permission. Curve helps you see what the approved ads bring in. Curve's team sets up server-side conversions to Meta and your other ad platforms, credits admissions calls and inquiry forms to the ad that drove them, detects PHI-like patterns before data reaches an ad platform, and gives you Event Logs that show what was sent and accepted. Curve Compliance is SOC 2 Type II, includes consent management and signs a BAA on every plan. See Curve for addiction treatment centers, or book a call with Curve.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Meta Transparency Center: Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment (Advertising Standards)
• Meta Business Help Center: About Meta's Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment advertising policy
• Meta Business Help Center: How to apply for permission to promote drug and alcohol addiction treatment
• Meta Business Help Center: How to troubleshoot a rejected ad
• LegitScript: Addiction Treatment Certification
• Google Advertising Policies Help: Healthcare and medicines
• Google Advertising Policies Help: Addiction services
• eCFR: 42 CFR 2.11, Definitions
• eCFR: 42 CFR 2.12, Applicability
• eCFR: 42 CFR 2.13, Confidentiality restrictions and safeguards
• Federal Register: Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Patient Records, 89 FR 12472 (February 16, 2024)

Last verified October 26, 2026

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