Read on Twitter
OK folks - I'm finally ready to address this issue head-on! This tweet from my good friends at @tnjoint spurred me into action to discuss the #anti- #cannabis policies of tech companies and why they continue to proliferate. https://twitter.com/Spectromagix/status/1350884842611896321
But it was this tweet by @StreetVillain that got me thinking. When tech companies ban domestic terrorists from their services, they are combating the greatest evils and their msgs. But what do we do when those same processes are used to ban lesser evils? https://twitter.com/StreetVillain/status/1350116262739804160
Or, in the case of #cannabis - not evil at all? This is the concern I have with many tech companies today that appear to have anti-cannabis policies that result in full bans on cannabis content - in some cases these bans are harsher on cannabis vs these domestic terrorists.
For instance, @Youtube appears to prevent monetization for any cannabis-related videos, due to the fact that "top advertisers were seeing their ads play before content that was inappropriate and damaging to their brand". Cannabis = inappropriate? Huh? https://www.cannaconnection.com/blog/18816-incomprehensible-youtube-policy-regarding-marijuana-videos
Further discussion on this issue appears to reveal inconsistencies with @Youtube policy. Still, its frustrating when you have idiots in support of such policies while calling cannabis users "junkies". https://support.google.com/youtube/thread/32463362?hl=en
Companies like #Twitch and #Amazon have unclear policies around #cannabis. #Amazon prohibits sale of THC and hemp products. #Twitch has allowed creators to smoke on air, but they generally discourage it, and can choose to ban a creator at anytime. https://medium.com/@heymattsokol/are-you-allowed-to-smoke-weed-on-twitch-1a3c79f430b8
Companies like @Reddit and @Twitter appear to be the most #cannabis friendly. @Twitter in fact recognizes #Canadian laws and allows Canadian companies to promote #cannabis products via direct #Twitter adverts. https://business.twitter.com/en/help/ads-policies/ads-content-policies/drugs-and-drug-paraphernalia.html
When #cannabis first legalized in 2018, @Reddit was the first source that I went to in order to find reviews on new products. @Reddit has many #cannabis-friendly communities include #trees, #canadients, #oilpen and my personal favorite - #milking :) https://www.reddit.com/r/Milking/
On the opposite end, you have #Facebook, who also owns #Instagram, and has taken a very #draconian #stance on "marjuana", as per their policy: (side note - ever noticed how most anti-cannabis organizations call it "marijuana" - whats up with that?)
https://m.facebook.com/communitystandards/regulated_goods
https://m.facebook.com/communitystandards/regulated_goods
Despite #cannabis being legal in #Canada since 2018, we are continuing to see #cannabis #content being shutdown on #Instagram - almost on a weekly (sometimes even daily) basis. https://twitter.com/extractedca/status/1351194381018140682?s=21
Facebook attempts to rationalize this in their TOS as follows: "Some of these items are not regulated everywhere; however, because of the borderless nature of our community, we try to enforce our policies as consistently as possible". So, Facebook is enforcing their own laws?
Perhaps the broader issue here is that #cannabis remains federally illegal in the US, and that all of these tech companies are US based. Still, given that #Facebook has a separate division in Canada, you would think that they would recognize the laws of each country?
Facebook/Instagram are also notoriously inconsistent in applying their laws. This article provides tips on what content creators can do to avoid the ban-hammer, but still, it happens, even when all of the rules have been followed. https://cannabiz.media/instagram-marketing-for-cannabis-license-holders/
Instagrams TOS broadly prevents "people or organizations to use the platform to advertise or sell marijuana, regardless of the seller’s state or country." "Our policy prohibits any marijuana seller, including dispensaries, from promoting their business." https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/789164081427334?helpref=related
These policies are not just bad for businesses - they're bad for consumers, as they continue to propagate #anti- #cannabis stigma, generally positioning #cannabis in the same categories as other illegal drugs. I wonder if Facebook also has an anti-cannabis policy for employees?
Then there's @Apple. Apple decided to unilaterally ban all apps associated with dry-herb vape products due to the fallout from the Vitamin E acetate outbreak that occurred back in 2019. This problem was linked to illegal vape pens and e-cigs - not dry herb https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/15/business/apple-vaping-apps.html
Despite the fact that there hasn't been any active discussions on the #Vitamin E #Acetate problem since 2019, and despite the obvious fact that the Vitamin E Acetate problem has NOTHING to do with #dry #herb #vaporizers, Apple's ban on vape apps persists to this very day.
And this is also despite the fact that @Apple in fact allows #cannabis apps to be on their @AppStore, unlike #Facebook & #Instagram. https://appleinsider.com/articles/15/02/13/apple-now-allowing-marijuana-themed-app-store-downloads-in-23-us-states-where-drug-is-legal
These vape apps are pretty important to the overall usability of the vape. My #Firefly2 is practically unusable without the app, which provides details on the temperature and battery life. The @PAXvapor app for #PaxEra provides access to dose control and details on the pod itself
Vaporizer companies have since developed workarounds - @storz_bickel & @airgraft developed apps that work on specific mobile browsers in order to maintain iPhone functionality. However, Apple has now banned the browsers (e.g. #Cider) as well! Why @Apple? https://techcrunch.com/2020/02/19/how-companies-are-working-around-apples-ban-on-vaping-apps/
Even on #Android, @Google instituted new policies as late as 2019 trying to ban apps attempting to sell #cannabis, even in cannabis-legal states. Unlike @Apple, however, #Google is actively working with app developers to bring their apps into compliance with policy.
All of these #tech company policies do more harm than good: They don't recognize the laws of the origin country, they're derived from outdated views on cannabis, and don't account for the changing #legality of #Cannabis, and they help to #propagate anti-cannabis #stigma.
When will tech companies learn and evolve? Are they waiting for the US to federally legalize? Will they accept the laws of the origin countries? Or do these companies simply possess too much control, applying draconian policies to lesser evils (or no evils at all?)
I want to thank @tnjoint, @StreetVillain, @Extractedca, @duce_7 and @EamonCyr for giving me the inspiration for this post!
