Meta's New Content Policy Changes Don't Remove Cannabis Restrictions
Facebook and Instagram (owned by their parent company Meta) just announced they're changing their rules to be more open about what people can post. But if you try to search for anything about marijuana or cannabis, you'll still get blocked - even if you're looking for completely legal information!
What's New and What's Not
Meta says it’s going to be more relaxed about posts about topics like immigration and gender. But try searching for "marijuana" or "cannabis" on Facebook or Instagram, and you'll see a message asking you to report drug sales instead of showing you what you're looking for. This affects lots of different groups, including:
State government offices that make sure marijuana is sold safely
Doctors and patients sharing medical marijuana information
News websites that report on cannabis laws
Groups that work to change marijuana laws
People trying to learn about cannabis
For example, if you search for the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (that's like the state's marijuana department), Facebook won't show you their official page. Instead, it shows a warning message about drugs!
How This Affects People
These strict rules cause real problems:
State officials can't easily share important safety information with the public. People who make videos, write articles, or post about cannabis keep getting their content hidden from viewers - even when they're just talking about laws or teaching people about it. Many users have to create backup accounts or avoid using words like "cannabis" just to keep their posts visible.
What People Are Saying About It
Brian Brown makes a comic strip called Legalization Nation about cannabis laws. He says even though his comics are just about policy (kind of like political cartoons), Facebook keeps marking them as inappropriate. He tried getting a verified account to fix the problem, but his posts still get hidden.
Morgan Fox, who works for a group that wants to change marijuana laws, says it's really frustrating that these computer programs keep blocking people from sharing important information about cannabis on social media.
What Happens Next
While some tech companies like Twitter (now called X) and Apple are becoming more open to cannabis-related content, Facebook and Instagram aren't changing their rules. Even though cannabis is legal in many states now, these social media platforms still treat almost all cannabis content like it's harmful.
For now, cannabis businesses, educators, and government officials have to find other ways to share their information since Facebook and Instagram make it so hard to post about anything related to cannaibs.