The EVOLUTION Magazine April 2022 | Page 38

Cannabiz News ►

Conquering The Final Frontier

The Banning of Cannabis Businesses on Social Media Platforms by Andrew Park , contributing writer

In the past couple of months , I have skimmed the surface of what is happening with recreational use of cannabis in our state . I have even explained the importance of working for this incredible magazine and how we can use this platform to educate you , the patient , directly . Unfortunately , there is a different hurdle that Missouri Cannabis Businesses must endure . Social media platforms make it extremely difficult to have cannabis content shared .

The most important aspect of this hurdle is that it prevents Missouri-owned companies from communicating with their patients . Even updates about store hours of operations have been stifled due to the blanket statement of “ Community Guidelines ” on multiple platforms . I want to use this opportunity to explain why this is happening , how it is happening , and what you can do as a patient to make sure that you can stay up to date with your local cannabis businesses .
First , when I reference “ Social Media ,” I am referring to Meta ( Facebook ), Instagram , Twitter , TikTok , and LinkedIn . Moving forward , Instagram and Meta ( Facebook ) will fall under the same umbrella as the same company owns them . Now , the main tactic used by these apps and sites is referred to as “ Shadow-Banning ,” which means that the content the Missouri businesses want you to see is not as easily circulated as other non-cannabis businesses . The business owners are never alerted of this change ; they can only pay close attention to the numbers the company gives them to see the number of people who looked at the content . It would be like this article was only printed in The EVOLUTION Magazine issues in Kansas City , in dispensaries South of the river , and . in the city limits of Belton , instead of the full range of distribution our magazine has to offer . Why is this happening ? What do these companies have against cannabis ? Well , just to give you an idea of how layered the answer is to this question when you go to the Community Guidelines for Instagram , the word “ cannabis ” is never used , nor is “ marijuana .” In fact , the word “ Drug ” is only used
38 April 2022 three times . Here is the exact phrase from the guidelines of Instagram . “… Instagram is not a place to support or praise terrorism , organized crime , or hate groups . Offering sexual services , buying or selling firearms , alcohol , and tobacco products between private individuals , and buying or selling non-medical or pharmaceutical drugs are also not allowed . We also remove content that attempts to trade , co-ordinate the trade of , donate , gift , or ask for non-medical drugs , as well as content that either admits to personal use ( unless in the recovery context ) or coordinates or promotes the use of non-medical drugs ….” That is it . As long as you don ’ t offer non-medical drugs , your content should be readily spread to all users . Seeing how cannabis is not only legal as a medical drug but also legalized as much as alcohol in some states , the shadow-banning is puzzling , to say the least .
Some cannabis businesses have found loopholes to make sure their reach isn ’ t as affected . Some use slightly different spellings of words that may trigger a filter or the use hashtags that refer to the location of their business as opposed to the medicine or product they sell . All businesses , however , make a “ back-up ” account . You can usually find these in the description of the business ’ account . These are safeguards for when the application bans or temporarily disables the account due to what they believe is a breach of the Community Guidelines . To give you an idea of how poorly this has been executed in recent months , a company based out of Reno , NV , was banned permanently from a platform . Its only product is a terpene shot that is bottled and sold and dispensaries . That ’ s right , a company that doesn ’ t even sell a product with THC was banned .
There is a light at the end of the social media tunnel . It isn ’ t what most people expected either . LinkedIn has been extremely “ canna-friendly ” when it comes to business . They have allowed companies to freely interact with their patients or customers depending on in which state they reside . There are full communities of small businesses across the country that can share ideas , events , and even specific products that they find interesting . As of 2022 , LinkedIn is the place for cannabis professionals to network , expand ideas , and join together without the fear of losing years of work when a random “ you are banned ” notification comes along .
Wrapping up , I want to take a second to thank you , the reader . This article marks my 12th , which makes one full year of writing . The publishers Bill and Victoria , and Clayton the Director of Marketing are all incredible people who love what they do . They are one of the reasons Missouri cannabis is where it ’ s at today . I owe them more than they can know for giving me a shot and welcoming me into the Missouri medical cannabis community .
Now you , the reader , have a job to do . You must continue to support Missouri cannabis businesses whenever you can . Make sure to stay informed on what is happening in the industry and what is happening with our beloved state . I cannot thank those who have reached out enough . I have heard so many fantastic stories about fellow Missourians finding the help they so desperately needed in cannabis . I hope this article helps you understand why it is so important to stay aware of everything going on with your favorite Missouri cannabis businesses .
Andrew Park ACRP-CP , is the Director of Regulatory Affairs for a clinical research company based in KC . His years of experience in research have shown him the importance that treatments can always be improved . A Kansas City native , Andrew recently launched his Seed and Stems cannabis-related podcast on Spotify . Contact him at andrewkcpark @ gmail . com .
Written views of the contributing writers expressed in this publication belong to the writers and do not necessarily reflect the sentiments or editorial opinion of the publisher or staff of The EVOLUTION Magazine .