Prohibited and restricted SMS content: SHAFT, cannabis, loans, lead gen
Short answer
Some businesses can't register at all: cannabis and CBD (even if only mentioned on the website), payday and non-direct lending, debt relief and credit repair, gambling, third-party lead generation, crypto and stock tips. Alcohol and some other adult products need a date-of-birth age gate. These rejections are usually final, so don't pay to resubmit the same thing.
What you'll see
| Where | Code | Wording |
|---|---|---|
| Twilio (10DLC) | 30883 / 30897 | “Campaign vetting rejection - Content Violation” / “Campaign vetting rejection - Disallowed Content” |
| Twilio (10DLC) | 30940-30962 | Specific categories, e.g. 30940 “Cannabis, CBD, or illegal substance content detected”, 30942 “Loan marketing content detected”; marked not eligible for resubmission |
| Twilio (toll-free) | 30441-30469 | e.g. 30443 “Disallowed: Loan Marketing”, 30468 “Disallowed: Third-party Lead Generation” |
| Telnyx, Bandwidth | 701-709 | Cannabis/CBD; guns without age gate; sex; gambling; hate; alcohol or tobacco without age gate; lead gen; high-risk finance |
| Bandwidth Proxy, Infobip | 7001-7012 | Job boards, lead gen, gambling, high-risk finance, illegal substances, age-gated content without a gate, debt collection, hate |
| The Campaign Registry | DISALLOWED_CONTENT | “Content related to gambling, drugs, hate speech, illegal activities, or high-risk services is strictly prohibited in campaigns.” |
Text in curly quotes is the provider's wording; the rest is our summary.
Why it happens
- The business sells something on the prohibited list, even if the texts are only appointment reminders.
- The website mentions CBD, lead generation, “partners” buying leads, or financing offers.
- Age-restricted products without a real date-of-birth gate.
- Promotional texts for prescription drugs or GLP-1 products (Twilio 30565).
How to fix it
- Check the matrix below. If your business is prohibited, don't resubmit: Twilio, Bandwidth and the vetting partners mark these as final, and each attempt can cost a vetting fee.
- If a prohibited item is incidental (one CBD product on a chiropractor's site), remove it from the website before registering.
- For age-restricted products that are allowed, add a manual date-of-birth gate and tick the age-gated attribute.
- If you think the rejection is a mistake, appeal through your provider with evidence rather than resubmitting unchanged.
- Consider email or another channel for programs that can't be approved for SMS.
Content matrix (as of October 2026)
| Category | 10DLC | Toll-free |
|---|---|---|
| Cannabis, CBD, hemp, kratom | Prohibited, even if only on the website | Prohibited |
| Prescription drugs, GLP-1 | No promotional texts; informational only, with an 18+ gate | Informational only (Bandwidth 1610) |
| Payday, short-term, non-direct loans; loan marketing | Prohibited; direct lenders allowed with the attribute | All loan marketing not eligible |
| Third-party debt collection, debt relief, credit repair | Prohibited | Prohibited |
| Crypto, stock alerts, risk investments | Prohibited (2FA and transactional only at Twilio) | Prohibited |
| Third-party lead generation, affiliate marketing, MLM | Prohibited | Prohibited |
| Gambling, sweepstakes | Prohibited (sweepstakes: see note) | Prohibited |
| Alcohol | Allowed with a date-of-birth gate | Allowed with a 21+ gate at Twilio; Bandwidth: promotions not eligible |
| Firearms | Twilio: not on any number type. Telnyx/Bandwidth (DCA 702): with an age gate | Not eligible |
| Tobacco, vape | Twilio: vape not allowed, tobacco short code only. DCA 707: with an age gate | Not eligible, including cessation products (Bandwidth 1806) |
| Sex, hate, phishing (including simulated phishing) | Prohibited | Prohibited |
Sweepstakes: Twilio and HighLevel reject sweepstakes content, but Sinch, Telnyx and Plivo list Sweepstakes as a special 10DLC use case that needs carrier approval. Firearms: rules differ by provider, so check yours before paying fees.
What happens if prohibited content gets through
Since January 1, 2024, T-Mobile has charged “Sev-0” fines per violation, which providers pass on to senders: $2,000 for phishing, smishing and social engineering; $1,000 for illegal content such as cannabis, CBD and illegal prescriptions; and $500 for other violations including SHAFT. Carriers can also suspend by EIN, which covers every brand registered under that EIN at any provider.
Check before you resubmit. Every rejection costs days, and often another $15 vetting fee. Paste your description, message flow, samples and policy text into the free preflight check, or generate a consistent set with the campaign builder.
Frequently asked questions
What does SHAFT stand for?
Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco. It is CTIA's shorthand for content that is prohibited or needs an age gate. Cannabis and CBD are usually listed alongside it.
My dental office sells CBD balm. Will that block my reminders?
Very likely. Bandwidth and Telnyx reject campaigns when CBD appears anywhere on the website, even if the texts are unrelated. Remove it from the site before registering.
Can I appeal a disallowed content rejection?
You can ask your provider to review it if the classification is wrong, with evidence. Resubmitting the same campaign unchanged usually fails again and may cost another vetting fee.
Is real estate or insurance prohibited?
Not generally, but providers differ. Telnyx's code 807 targets real estate and insurance companies with incomplete websites, Plivo lists real estate as never allowed, and Telnyx toll-free lists car and health insurance as inappropriate. Expect extra scrutiny and keep the website complete.
Sources
- Twilio: Forbidden Message Categories in the US and Canada (updated 2026-06-03)
- Twilio error 30883 (accessed 2026-10-03)
- Twilio error 30897 (accessed 2026-10-03)
- Twilio error 30942 (accessed 2026-10-03)
- Twilio error 30565 (accessed 2026-10-03)
- Bandwidth: DCA2 vetting rejection reasons (2026-03-17)
- Bandwidth: Proxy Connector vetting rejection reasons (2026-03-17)
- Bandwidth: Toll-free verification rejection reasons (modified 2026-09-15)
- The Campaign Registry: CSP API OpenAPI spec (accessed 2026-10-03)
- Bandwidth: T-Mobile 10DLC (fees and fines) (updated 2026-08-13)
- T-Mobile Code of Conduct v2.2 (November 2020 (latest public))
- AT&T Code of Conduct for Short Code and 10-Digit A2P SMS (March 1, 2021 (latest found))
- The Campaign Registry: CSP User Guide (July 2026)
- Sinch: 10DLC campaign rejection codes (updated 2026-09-28)
Rules change often and providers sometimes disagree; where they do, this page says so. This is general information, not legal advice, and no one can guarantee approval. See the disclaimer.
Related problems
- Twilio 30888, 30956, 30448, 30512, 30529 · DCA 601, 702, 706, 707 · Proxy 1001, 3010 · TF 1412, 1804Age gate rejections: what counts as a “robust” age gate (Twilio 30888, 30512)
- Twilio 30951, 30932, 30468, 30916 · DCA 708 · Proxy 7002Rejected for lead generation or affiliate marketing (Twilio 30951, DCA 708)
- Twilio 30895, 30942, 30443 · DCA 601, 712 · Proxy 1002 · TF 1703Direct lending attribute error (Twilio 30895, DCA 712): what lenders must declare
- Twilio 30893, 30496, 30499, 30507, 30537, 30916 · DCA 602 · Proxy 2003, 2005, 8001-8004Use case mismatch: when your samples, description and opt-in disagree
The Approval Kit adds industry template packs, opt-in and policy page templates, and an agency checklist.