By Cara Anderson
IG: @carajojo
Facebook has shadow banned content that mentions the words cannabis, marijuana, marihuana, THC, or ganja. The ban includes all pages, groups, posts, photos, and events that include the aforementioned marijuana monickers. Even government cannabis control agencies like the California Bureau of Cannabis Control are banned from search.
Alex Traveso, Chief of Communications of the CBCC, told Candid Chronicle, “There hasn’t been any resolution unfortunately, and not having the ability to communicate with stakeholders via such an important channel during a critical time for our industry, has frankly been counterproductive.”
Facebook already rejects any cannabis advertising and blocks cannabis news articles from its algorithm. So, while not entirely shocking, it’s cause for major concern, especially after YouTube decided haphazardly, and without explanation, to delete all cannabis-related channels and videos this Spring.
Unlike Youtube, Facebook has not yet deleted cannabis content. The cannabis pages, groups, etc. are still available by direct link.
This is censorship. Prohibition and criminalization of cannabis rely on miseducation and misinformation. As with any propaganda, anti-cannabis movements thrive on detaching communities from the truth. While Facebook’s shadow ban has not completely eradicated the countless cannabis resources for education and networking, Facebook has made an action to disconnect the cannabis community.
